theatre which pushes boundaries : working for and with people affected by rape and sexual violence

Supporting Survivors

Empowerment Theatre exists to give a voice to survivors the original purpose was to give people affected by sexual abuse and rape the opportunity to take an intensely negative situation and find a positive angle to the benefit of their own mental health and in the process positively affecting changes in the attitudes of the wider communities to the crime of rape and survivors.

We don't want to separate actors and survivors. Through discussion and practical exploration survivors will support each other to overcome their day to day issues and in the process they will begin to overcome inhibitions forced on them by an outside event. The ideal is that survivors will work on day to day issues affecting them, personal space, flash backs, the ability to relate to the opposite, or the same sex, depending on the abuser, attitudes to sexual intercourse and intimacy with a partner.

Throughout this process survivors input will assist the creative direction of Empowerment Theatre. You as a survivor have the messages that will change the wider community's perspectives of what it is to be a 'Rape Victim'. There can be great stigma attached to being a survivor of sexual abuse and our workshops will be designed to provide our service users with a voice to tell the wider community the reality, to show the strength of survivors. The workshop leader, Lucy Bray, will take the issues back to the ensemble who will begin to work on productions to take out to the wider community.

At all times survivor workshops will operate with utmost care and understanding. They will not be standard theatre workshops where you may be expected to be exuberant and uninhibited. Having herself experienced some of the effects of sexual and domestic abuse, Lucy will design these workshops in collaboration of other professionals experienced in sexual violence and workshop issues.

Self help groups

Our initial support for survivors will come in the form of self help groups with a difference. Empowerment Theatre aims to run regular meetings for people affected by sexual abuse to explore the issues created by rape and abuse in their day to day lives. We will be developing a programme of workshops.

Existing organisations

For established organisations who wish to make use of our skills and expertise to design workshops specifically for their members.

© Empowerment Theatre Company 2010