The first obstacle was attempting to find research on a
topic where I was not sure there was research. Unfortunately, I
was able to find little in the way of statistical data, with
one exception, that being Burdyshaw and Fowler's 1986 article.
Where there is statistical research, it is on peer
education, usually without the element of theatre (Richie and
Getty, Howard and McCabe). Where this becomes problematic is
very strikingly stated in in Howard and McCabe's article
"Helping Teenagers Postpone Sexual Involvement", where the
study is focused on a peer educational group attempting to
limit teenage sexual intercourse. While they did find an
effective program in people who previously had not had
intercourse and seen the program, versus those who were already
sexually active (24% of students began having sex, versus 39%),
they made absolutely no difference in those who were already
engaging in intercourse.
...the program did not influence the sexual behavior of
students who have had sex before participating in the
program. These students were neither more likely to use
contraceptives (or to have fewer pregnancies) than were
similar students who had not participated in the
program.
(Howard, 3(1))
If such a program were to attempt to cover an issue where a
large portion of the population would be preconditioned to be
non-responsive due to societal reasons, such as men in
acquaintance rape programming, peer-educational workshops would
be useless. (McEvoy, 42-43)
Using theatre in a peer educational program is an attempt
to reach the people who may "tune out" because of a feeling of
being lectured at. With issues such as acquaintance rape,
sexual harassment, and physical and emotional abuse, where the
perpetrators are numerous and the society lends itself to these
behaviors, it is advantageous to attempt to reach audience
members through the "willing suspension of disbelief"(2)
theatre allows us, and create an atmosphere open to questioning
our values and ideas.
Burdyshaw and Fowler, which is primarily a chronicle of New
Image Teen Theatre, of San Diego, California, does provide the
only statistics and numbers I have been able to find.
Considering the slow pace of the academy in investigating new
socio-educational methods, the lack of information can be
understood, if undesirable. The first peer educational theatre
group started in 1973 in New York City from the Metropolitan
Hospital (Dryfoos). In 1981, New York Medical College's Youth
Health Services reported a 27% rise in prevention services used
because of Family Life Theatre (Burdyshaw).
In San Diego, where the second known group formed out of
Planned Parenthood, Burdyshaw and Fowler give out impressive
statistics, but unfortunately were achieved by questionnaires
given after their performances, or are from within the group
itself; nor did they mention if they worked on any topics other
than sexual decision making. Of the statistics given, there was
a 100% increase in knowledge among cast members of topics
covered in training courses over a three year period; 50% of
teenagers reported an increase in ease about talking about
sexuality issues with their families.
Where there is pre and post-testing, there's a 28-100%
increase in knowledge on adolescent sexuality and birth
control; and in a study by the State of California, they found
a 20% increase in knowledge in adolescents categorized as "high
risk." (Burdyshaw)
The difficulty with Burdyshaw and Fowler is that their work
was part of a presentation of the Annual Meeting of the
American Public Health Association in 1986, which doesn't lend
themselves to getting into too many details without boring the
audience. I was unable to find any more sources by the two.
What is left in the information pool are articles in
education manuals, or developmental manuals on such groups.
These are, of course, invaluable, and hopefully they will spark
more interest into pursuing further research, inquiry, and
activism.
Some of the more notable texts are Adams, which addresses
issues for people considering starting such a program; and
Small-McCarthy, who writes in detail about the formation and
running of a troupe over a period of its first two years.
Small-McCarthy's soon-to-be-published article (see
Bibliography) states very clearly the point of the programming
in "every 5 minutes":
...we were not there to dispense knowledge to passive
recipient, and that we were not there to dispense
campus rape statistics and facts to an audience who had
let a few of us know before the show that they had
'heard it all before.' No doubt they had heard it all
before. But had they seen it all before? Had their
hearts been touched by witnessing the trauma of a young
college woman, a peer, whose date just would not take no
for an answer?
Or as Yvette Flippen said in a March 13, 1995 interview, in
order to actually have the audience work out a proper solution
to a problem:
Then we would get two or three audience members. They
would take those same characters they just saw in the
skit, take them out into the hallway, fix it up and come
back in and display ways they could get around these
problems, or ways they could perceive these problems
differently, and just have some solutions. (Flippen)
Attempting to find different peer-educational theatre
groups proved to be another major task. There was no national
organization that I was aware of, aside from the occasional
Planned Parenthood affiliate, to trace peer educational groups
(I did locate through my interview with Yvette Flippen a
"National Peer Helpers Association", but at this point, I do
not have the time or resources to follow up on it).
Planned Parenthood of Middle Tennessee, the home of PG-13
Players, furnished me with a list, dated 1988, of the existing
Planned Parenthood Affiliates that had Teen Theatre programs at
the time. Of the twenty-one on the list, four responded my
initial request for information(3).
Requests on the Internet, both on Listservs or "mailing
lists" and UseNet newsgroups, yielded ten possible educational
theatre groups, but due to time and money considerations, only
two were contacted, and both (P.E.N. Players, and Power Plays)
returned information.
Leads from the Syracuse University Rape Advocacy,
Prevention, and Education Center brought up three
possibilities. One (Towson State) responded, while another was
not followed up upon because of resource considerations.
Planned Parenthood of Syracuse had three possibilities.
Only one of them (AIDS Community Resources) panned out.
The Source, from Sarasota Florida, originally reached
through the Planned Parenthood listing, produced two possible
alternatives, one being already mentioned over the Internet,
and the other being Beecher's Peer Educators.
Beecher's Peer Educators (located in Flint, Michigan)
provided a unique opportunity because of geographic location.
During Spring Break, my mother had decided to go to Flint to
visit relatives, and while she had planned to go on her own, I
was offered a ride because she drove past my location on her
way from Connecticut to Canada. I was allowed to interview the
coordinator, Yvette Flippen, as well as sit in on a meeting and
rehearsal. This will be explored further as this paper
continues.
Robin Small-McCarthy, Assistant Professor of Theatre and
Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Illinois and
Champagne-Urbana, and founder, director (drama), and the third
co-ordinator of "every 5 minutes R.A.P.E. forum theatre" (at
Syracuse University) was generous enough to send a copy of an
article about the troupe that is to be published in a
forthcoming book about research and activism in the area of
sexual aggression.
Jessica Manke and K.T. Curran, coordinators for PG-13
Players and The Source, respectively, were both very generous
in both mailing and faxing newspaper and scholarly journal
articles that were not available at Syracuse University.
1. This article, sent to be via "The Source" in Sarasota, Florida, appears to have origionally made its way to them via a fax, and I am unable to cite an official page number. The best I can offer is it is on the third page of the article. 2. The phrase, "willing suspension of disbelief" means that the audience, for the duration of the performance, accepts the indetities and situations of the characters, and not those of the actors playing the parts. 3. Planned Parenthood League of Massachussets responded, informing me that Youth Expression Theatre had disbanded, but no information or records were available for loan or copy because of recent anti-abortion violence.
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