From my perspective during the creative process of this piece, we had nowhere to start. Once we filled out one of the teacher resource papers that says where we can get our inspiration from, that’s when we started going through the ideas of doing something related abuse. We knew from the beginning that our performance had to be one that had a message or informed people about a topic, not just an entertainment piece. I think it started when Chisanga showed us a Lady Gaga music video that told a story about depression and rape during a party. From then one, we were quite fixated with that sort of theme; abuse, rape, drugs and even violence. Thank after some research done in and out of class, we read poems to each other about rape and violence. One of the classes when one of our classmates was missing, we turned down the lights and listened to music and real some poems aloud to get the full effect.
We then were trying to focus on perspectives and how each person’s point of view changed because of a rape. I think for me, that was when I really wanted to focus on abuse and rape. After some discussion with our teacher about different things that he had seen on the internet, like a book written by a paedophile all about how to capture little boys and girls for your own pleasure, we went looking for more inspiration and source material. I then stumbled onto a blog post titled “Confessions of a Serial Rapist”. Tying into perspectives and how each person perceives an action, I read it and was thoroughly horrified. This really opened something new for me that I had never thought of before, which is that some rapists aren’t fully aware that what they’re doing is wrong. The concept of rape and violating someone for your own personal gain is in their mind, but full comprehension that what they’re doing is beyond wrong, beyond sin, beyond hell doesn’t resonate within them. I couldn’t believe it and as I read it to my classmates, I saw similar version o the disgust and shock that I was feeling in their eyes and I knew for sure that the passion for this performance would be there.
With this performance, I really want to send a message for the people sitting in our audience. I already have gotten so much out of just doing to research for my character, an upper middle class man who is very kind and sincere outdoors, but behind the scenes, he has a violent streak through him that will lead to something disgustingly wrong. I want the audience to be shocked by our performance. Our school community is unaware of the things that happen to people in such households. Don’t get me wrong, it’s understood that rape and domestic violence happens and the appropriate amount of sympathy is offered to those who were victims, but the topic is taboo and not discussed. If my personal wish with this performance is to spread awareness that this happens to ‘normal’ people, then we just need to break down whatever social barrier that comes with the issue. When our audience leaves the theatre, I want them to go back to their day, able to notice the little signs and tiny indicators that they wouldn’t have noticed before. They should go back and start a discussion about what our performance showed. My aim is just that; to start a conversation, and hopefully that conversation will lead on to more conversations that will spark something even greater in the AISL community.
We then were trying to focus on perspectives and how each person’s point of view changed because of a rape. I think for me, that was when I really wanted to focus on abuse and rape. After some discussion with our teacher about different things that he had seen on the internet, like a book written by a paedophile all about how to capture little boys and girls for your own pleasure, we went looking for more inspiration and source material. I then stumbled onto a blog post titled “Confessions of a Serial Rapist”. Tying into perspectives and how each person perceives an action, I read it and was thoroughly horrified. This really opened something new for me that I had never thought of before, which is that some rapists aren’t fully aware that what they’re doing is wrong. The concept of rape and violating someone for your own personal gain is in their mind, but full comprehension that what they’re doing is beyond wrong, beyond sin, beyond hell doesn’t resonate within them. I couldn’t believe it and as I read it to my classmates, I saw similar version o the disgust and shock that I was feeling in their eyes and I knew for sure that the passion for this performance would be there.
With this performance, I really want to send a message for the people sitting in our audience. I already have gotten so much out of just doing to research for my character, an upper middle class man who is very kind and sincere outdoors, but behind the scenes, he has a violent streak through him that will lead to something disgustingly wrong. I want the audience to be shocked by our performance. Our school community is unaware of the things that happen to people in such households. Don’t get me wrong, it’s understood that rape and domestic violence happens and the appropriate amount of sympathy is offered to those who were victims, but the topic is taboo and not discussed. If my personal wish with this performance is to spread awareness that this happens to ‘normal’ people, then we just need to break down whatever social barrier that comes with the issue. When our audience leaves the theatre, I want them to go back to their day, able to notice the little signs and tiny indicators that they wouldn’t have noticed before. They should go back and start a discussion about what our performance showed. My aim is just that; to start a conversation, and hopefully that conversation will lead on to more conversations that will spark something even greater in the AISL community.