Co-Author of Baffle That Bully! Chase Anichini Stars in Ruthless The Musical
To watch her on stage, you would never guess that Chase has been the target of emotional bullying. For more than 2 years she dealt with kids who constantly picked on her, called her names, and told her that nobody liked her. How is it possible to rise above bullying and go on to become the star of a musical?
"I decided not to give in," said the young actress/author. "There was no way I was going to allow those bullies to win."
With her parents’ help, Chase developed a strategy for dealing with bullies: by following 3 simple steps, she turned her encounters with bullies into a game. What happened next was incredible: the bullies got bored and left her alone! Chase named her game, “Baffle That Bully!” She and her mother co-wrote a book to teach other kids how to play.
Writing the book was a crucial component of the healing process for Chase. By teaching other kids what she did to get rid of her bullies, she turned a negative experience into something positive. The process helped re-build her confidence and sense of self-worth.
Clearly it did! Chase sparkles as Tina Denmark - singing 4 solo's and several duets and delivering ample lines with a well-honed sense of comedic timing.
Did Chase draw on her experience as the target of bullying to play any aspect of Tina Denmark?
"I think I did without realizing it," Chase admitted. "The kids who bullied me were mean and rude; they said cruel things to me. Sometimes my character Tina is mean - really mean - and speaks to other characters in an angry tone. Lots of times I find myself mimicking the bullies when Tina needs to be on her worst behavior."
Using her real-life experiences to play Tina Denmark to the full extent - both sweet and evil - is just another way that Chase Anichini has turned her lemons into lemonade.
About Ruthless! The Musical
Ruthless! The Musical is playing now through March 3, 2013 at the Coronado Playhouse, 1835 Strand Way in Coronado. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 2:00pm. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.CoronadoPlayhouse.com or by calling the Box Office at (619) 435-4856.
About the Book: Baffle That Bully!
Baffle That Bully! is a way of maintaining your cool while distracting bullies, throwing them off their game, and putting them in a game where you make the rules. The result: bullies decide for themselves to leave you alone, because it’s no longer fun to pick on you.
Chase tells her story through the fictional character Scarlett Jones. Scarlett introduces 3 steps to playing Baffle That Bully! for your child to follow every single time someone is “mean” to him/her. Then she walks your child through several situations (“The Bully Encounters of Scarlett the Baffler”) and explains how she applied the 3 steps to remain calm while throwing the bullies off of their well-rehearsed tactics. Scarlett demonstrates how to successfully Baffle YOUR Bully.
At its heart, Baffle That Bully! is about being the keeper of your own feelings and believing in yourself. The message is positive and uplifting: don’t let anyone bring you down, no matter how hard they try! That confidence and sense of self-worth could help your child handle just about any unpleasant situation.
Baffle That Bully! is available from Amazon.com in Paperback and Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
