SOUTH OTSELIC – Members of the audience may be surprised by this year’s Otselic Valley Central School District fall production of “The Bully Plays,” according to director Michael Foor-Pessin. From the ground up, the selection of short comedies and tragedies is unique in its portrayal of bullies, bullying and the victims involved.

Compiled and edited by Linda Habjan, and produced by special agreement with Woodstock, Illinois-based Dramatic Publishing Company, “The Bully Plays” consists of 24, 10-minute segments that touch on issues such as inappropriate text messaging and online photography, bullying, suicide and others facing today’s youth, said Foor-Pessin.

“This is a different direction, a totally new development, and I want the audience to have a very different experience,” added the director. “I want them to leave here thinking about bullying ... about what we’re going to do about it.”

The Otselic Valley group – comprised of one senior, one junior, one sophomore, five eighth graders and one seventh grader – will present eight of the 24 segments included in “The Bully Plays.”

Said Foor-Pessin, “In bullying, kids play different roles, both victims and victimizers ... I want each kid to get the opportunity to act, to shoulder the burden of the message.”