Barton County (Kansas) Arts Council

GBHS Theatre Brings �Conspiracy� to Town A conspiracy is coming�The Great Bend High School Theatre Department is staging The Jellybean Conspiracy March 6-8. �Jelly Bean� is a theatre-based community education program that helps kids with disabilities and mental retardation get connected with other kids in school and helps kids without disabilities to act with kindness and hospitality towards them.

At the center of the program is a theatre Show that tells the story of a teenage girl named Cricket and her brother Tom, who has Down Syndrome, a common developmental disability. In addition to this one-act play, a locally written and produced pre-show will feature GBHS actors, musicians and dancers. Several students from the special education department auditioned and have landed roles in the production. According to director Dan Heath, �This was by far one of the most enjoyable and uplifting audition experiences of my career. To see our special education students get up on stage and share their talent right along side our seasoned drama kid was incredible.� The official Jellybean Conspiracy website states that the focus of the program is �to increase the community�s acceptance and understanding of people with disabilities and their families. The Jellybean Conspiracy Show increases awareness in schools and communities through plays depicting individuals with disabilities.�

Dr. Howard Martin of the University of Missouri at Kansas City is the founder and director of the Jellybean project. According to Dr. Martin, �Prejudice and discrimination in any form and in any context tears at the fabric of a healthy human community. This kind of hostility, sometimes aggressive and sometimes passive, is harmful to those who deliver it and those who are its objects. The Jellybean Conspiracy Show is designed to use the image-making and community engendering powers of the arts--storytelling, music, dance, and theatre to overcome these two negative forces in the lives of young people and replace them with their opposites--understanding, compassion, and courage.

Tickets for the Jellybean conspiracy will be $5 at the door with $3 tickets available from GBHS drama students. Show times are Sunday, March 6 at 2:00 PM, Monday, March 7 at 7:00 PM and Tuesday, March 8 at 7:00 PM. All performances will be held in the GBHS auditorium. Proceeds from ticket sales will help fund future performances of the Jelly Bean Conspiracy Show at other schools around the state and nationally. For more information contact GBHS drama director, Dan Heath, at 793-1521 ext. 134.