The sad truth remains... that students and faculty alike would rather not hear that rape can and does occur on university campuses, our academic safe-havens. ‹Robin Small-McCarthy (Small-McCarthy, 19)
Nor do the issues like to be raised by faculty or
administrators in high or middle schools. The type of work, as
it is being performed now, is a stop-gap measure. A way for
people in power to wash their hands of the issue and proclaim
proudly, "It's been covered" and be done with it.
The fact is that it is not. Changing the systems within our
societies that lead to these social problems will require more
work than one simple presentation, or even one year-long class
can provide. However, revolutions of any sort begin with people
willing to think through the issues, and around societal
boundaries. Any type of educational program can begin this
process.
The use of theatre to confront certain issues can, and if
run well, will be able to jump-start the thinking and
questioning process within the audience. By using theatre to
illustrate an acquaintance rape, the systems involved can be
rooted out one by one. In the "every 5 minutes" video
(Rocha)(1) we see the attitudes of men pressuring others to
have sex with women, as if it is a game; we see pornography and
objectification; we see a pre-set agenda; and in the talk-back
sessions, we see many of the excuses, myths, and misconceptions
that are handled in a respectful manner by the facilitator.
Oftentimes this is much different than what we're used to in
middle, high, or even college classes.
...nothing in my life, or in my training had ever prepared me for the intensity of task to which I had firmly committed my time and energy, heart and soul‹ the rigorous intellectualism and emotionalism engendered through our research, our dramatic (re)enactments, and our in-depth discussions of sexual violence. ‹Robin Small-McCarthy (Small-McCarthy, 9)
I have yet to see a group that will proclaim itself to be
the end-all, be-all in education. I believe that most people
understand that they're hitting on issues that others refuse to
tackle. The longer people work within these setups, the more
active they become within the topics. It's almost inevitable;
without political motivations, how can you effectively teach
about your issues (Small-McCarthy, 5)? Members of "every 5
minutes" have become very much engaged in other areas of rape
education, such as Rape Awareness Week, and stepping in for the
Rape Educator, when she had to, on short notice, take a
leave-of-absence from her position. Many have decided to
continue their activitism after graduation.
The people involved with these groups, especially when
inside their own school, become resources (Flippen). They are,
out of necessity, constantly reviewing material relevant to
their topics of focus (Flippen and Small-McCarthy, 12).
The amount of knowledge...that every actor needs to have before walking into a performance is amazing. And without that knowledge the whole thing is worthless. ‹Charlotte Kirschner (Small-McCarthy, 20)
Admittedly, more needs to be done. But revolutionaries, of
whatever type, need to have an educational background in order
to effectively fight to change our societies. It's my belief
that by using this medium as a catalyst, creating among the
audience, a questioning of belief systems, and the "knowledge"
that has been fed into us, we can work effectively to begin to
erode the myths and misconceptions that are supported by those
in power, in our society.
It's also my belief, that we should recognize those who do
work in these mediums to be activists, and not mere educators.
The time commitment is tremendous, and many of the people
involved are volunteers.
It is my hope that these groups receive more study and
scrutiny, in order to prove, and to improve themselves.
1. This video, while based upon "every 5 minutes" scenes, was not written or produced by them. They have expressed problems with how the scene is played out, but it does serve to express this particular point.