MARQUETTE — As members of the Forest Roberts Theatre near the end of their season, they’re ready to try something new. Beginning next week they will be giving kids their cootie shots.

Cootie Shots is an imaginative assortment of plays, songs and poems designed for young audiences. This colorful show aims to promote tolerance and celebrate diversity.

“This play is really important,” said actress Alexandra Marks, “because it starts early on the playground, don’t make fun of kids because they’re different, it’s okay to be different, and sometimes it’s even really cool to be different. That’s what this play does, it really shows the variety of people and how we all can work together.”

Cootie Shots uses real–life experiences to help kids understand their own feelings and how cruel words can impact others.

“People coming in to see this show can really see how much fun we’ve had putting it together, and how much fun we have performing it,” said actress Korinne Griffith, “I think that kids walking away from this will have a great time, laugh a lot, but would also learn about different types of people and what it means to be a good person.”

Most of the plays are for a specific and closed audience, but a show will be open to the public on Saturday April 25th, at 10 a.m.