Gymnasium Nordenham

Zwei Schülerinnen aus der Klasse 9c haben für das Stück “Sticks and Stones”, welches in der Mittelstufe gezeigt wurde, Rezensionen verfasst. Die folgenden aussagekräftigen Reviews geben einen Einblick in die Schülerperspektive.

Levke Wiechmann

“Sticks and Stones” by Peter Griffith, performed at Jahnhalle Nordenham on January 15, 2026, in English deals with bullying at schools. The play shows different situations, such as Tony’s, who is threatened and attacked repeatedly by some other students, and Ruth’s, who is bullied online, which makes her life very difficult. However, “Sticks and Stones” also shows how we can deal with bullying and find solutions for its victims.

The acting at Nordenham was mostly very good, although it was not always easy to hear the speakers clearly everywhere. The script proved convincing, I especially liked the poem about bullying because it was both emotionally moving and enlightening. The costumes were fine but the set and the background picture did not really satisfy me as there were a wall and two wooden cubes to sit or stand on.

I wonder if I would have liked the play better with more than the two actresses and two actors who had to play two or more roles each, which I found a little confusing a times. But maybe it is intended to pose a challenge forcing the audience to watch more carefully.

Generally speaking, the play shows bullying in a clear way and emphasizes that it is important to talk about the topic because most people tend to look away and ignore it. But in my mind Tony’s story is no longer topical since bullying nowadays is more about gossip and anonymous messaging on the internet rather than physical abuse.

Emily Abram

“Sticks and Stones” is a truly eye-opening play written by Peter Griffith that explaines and teaches about general bullying, including acts of physical violence, verbal violence and social exclusion. It was performed in Jahnhalle Nordenham near Gymnasium Nordenham for students year 7 to 10.

The first part of the play is about a young boy that gets put down effortlessly by a group of teenagers on his way to school. That group includes one girl who refers to herself as the school’s bully everyone is afraid of. Because of his lack of resistence the boy is overpowered easily and everything gets worse and worse.  Subsequently he tries to talk about his problem with his dad but the latter does not believe him at first. The second part of the story elucidates the life of a girl whose dream it seems to be to become an influencer. When she first arrives at her new school, she uses her phone to film for a blog about her first day there, which conversely does not end too well. Overall the play is about how unethical the bullying of teenagers is and how terrible its results.

The playing and expressing of the protagonists’ feelings was highly impressive and I can definitely recommend it. The consequences of bullying on both sides are shown and it makes you think about the matter. Every actor and actress played several characters, changed their looks and moods accordingly. They performers were confident and impassioned, which made watching the play even more appealing.

“Sticks and Stones” by Peter Griffith, performed at Jahnhalle Nordenham on January 15, 2026, in English deals with bullying at schools. The play shows different situations, such as Tony’s, who is threatened and attacked repeatedly by some other students, and Ruth’s, who is bullied online, which makes her life very difficult. However, “Sticks and Stones” also shows how we can deal with bullying and find solutions for its victims.

The acting at Nordenham was mostly very good, although it was not always easy to hear the speakers clearly everywhere. The script proved convincing, I especially liked the poem about bullying because it was both emotionally moving and enlightening. The costumes were fine but the set and the background picture did not really satisfy me as there were a wall and two wooden cubes to sit or stand on.

I wonder if I would have liked the play better with more than the two actresses and two actors who had to play two or more roles each, which I found a little confusing a times. But maybe it is intended to pose a challenge forcing the audience to watch more carefully.

Generally speaking, the play shows bullying in a clear way and emphasizes that it is important to talk about the topic because most people tend to look away and ignore it. But in my mind Tony’s story is no longer topical since bullying nowadays is more about gossip and anonymous messaging on the internet rather than physical abuse.