Bridgework Theater: A Conflict Resolution Program for Children

I am always on the lookout for creative and innovative programs in the field of conflict resolution. And being a parent and former teacher, I am especially interested in web sites that offer information about conflict resolution concepts and techniques for children. The subject of this month's article is satisfying on both fronts.

Bridgework Theater, founded in 1979, is a performance-based program for children in grades one through eight. Their web site can be found at http://www. bridgework.org/. The troupe, composed of adult actors, performs plays that deal with issues surrounding conflict resolution, as well as plays concerning respect and tolerance, and anger management.

All the plays are written by Bridgework Theater's founder and director, Donald C. Yost. In order to fully engage the youthful audiences, he has constructed the plays to be performed in the round, and they always include, as a special addition to the professional cast, a few of the school children from the target audience.

The program is based in Indiana, but the troupe tours throughout the Midwest and in the Mid-Atlantic states. Bridgework Theater is eligible to receive charitable donations and has funding support from The National Endowment for the Arts, The National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, as well as grants from Indiana foundations.

In addition to performing age appropriate plays about conflict resolution and related topics, the Bridgework Theater program also includes, within the context of the performances, suggestions for supporting existing school-based conflict resolution projects and advice about starting projects for schools where such efforts are not underway.

Bridgwork also conducts evaluations of the success of its plays in helping children adopt conflict resolution techniques and attitudes. This assessment material is made freely available on the web site. User registration, however, is required in order to receive pricing information for the performances.

If any of you have had the opportunity to see one of the Bridgework Theater productions, I'd love to have your impressions.

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