Since 2000, interACT has provided sexual assault intervention programs for universities, domestic abuse shelters, juvenile detention facilities, after-school programs, and drug/alcohol rehabilitation centers. The interACT troupe presents complicated, realistic scenes about domestic violence and sexual assault, and invites audience members to enact possible interventions on stage with actor-educators who reflect the diversity of our urban campus. The performance, which was developed in collaboration with experts in Sexual Trauma and based on current research, helps audience recognize the warning signs of abusive relations and better understand how individuals feel after being assaulted. Having gained local recognition for their work, interACT has been invited to perform at venues throughout the United States.
The interACT program was developed in response to the high incidence of sexual assault on college campuses, which Simon noted, “is now at near epidemic proportions” (289). Equally important, in the vast majority of college rape situations, the survivor knows the assailant. According to Mann, Hecht, and Valentine, “Date rape is such an epidemic on college campuses across the nation that more college women are now raped by dates and boyfriends than by strangers” (269). Date or acquaintance rape is especially prevalent among college students “because they live in communities where many factors related to date or acquaintance rape, such as age, alcohol use, and rape-tolerant behavioral norms, converge” (Holcomb, Sarvela, Sondag, & Holcomb, 159). In a frequently cited study, Koss, Gidycz, and Wisniewski found that 27% of college women had experienced rape or attempted rape, 25% of college men were involved in some form of sexual aggression, and 8% of men had raped or attempted to rape a woman.
The majority of sexual assault peer education programs used on college campuses are lecture-based, and consistent with passive learning models. In a critique of this approach, Frankham argued that most peer troupes employ “very didactic teaching methodologies” that result in the peer educators being “disappointed by the level of participation on the part of those being ‘educated’” (183). In contrast to didactic modes of education, the interACT program fosters a “proactive” audience stance (I.E., the highest level of audience involvement). During interACT performances, audience members literally join the actors on stage and attempt to prevent sexual assault and comfort survivors of domestic abuse. Hence, this program allows audience members to have a safe space to rehearse assertive communication strategies.
The efficacy of the interACT sexual assault prevention program has been vigorously examined, and the quantitative and qualitative results of the research have been presented at national conferences and published in anthologies and leading academic journals. The interACT program has been recognized for raising awareness about sexual assault, being highly involving, promoting emphatic and comforting responses from audience members, and providing a model where audience members can view proactive behaviors that can potentially disrupt a sexual assault episode. The research on the interACT program is ongoing.
What amazes me most about racism is white people’s indifference to the souls it destroys and lives it takes to this very day.
It has been my experience when communicating with Mexican people that they tend to speak unclear English however, speak clearly when the matter of money arises. I am curious if this behavior is intentional?
To talk about slavery, I don’t think that Black college students who are of age 18 to late 20’s can use that as an excuse for who and what they are. It just bothers me that they use that for everything.
Created and Directed by Marc Rich and Aaron Cargile (Facilitated by Marc Rich)
“We need to continually break the silence about racism whenever we can”, Tatum (1997) argues, “But how do we start?” (p. 193). interACT, the California State University Long Beach performance troupe, helps foster dialogue by posing concrete examples of racism and using highly interactive techniques that involve audience members in the production. The actor-educators reflect the diversity of our urban campus, and our scene, scripted entirely from students’ journal entries and “anonymous confessionals,” helps illuminate the deep rift that still exists between white students and persons of color. By utilizing scripted lines as well as “break-out” interactive scenes, we allow for critical reflection and audience participation. Although it is not an easy performance to view, we do present the authentic voices of our students and enable audience members to actively confront racism. The original performance, which made its debut as part of the opening ceremonies Western Speech Communication Association Annual Convention, was met with a standing ovation. In the ensuing years, we have made the production even stronger by adding interactive components. Our interactive scenes are informed by the theories of critical pedagogue Paulo Friere and performance activist Augusto Boal. Currently, we perform in a variety of community settings such as housing projects, after-school programs, drug/alcohol rehabilitation center, and juvenile detention facilities. In addition, we tour the performance throughout the United States.
As educators committed to exploring racial issues and facilitating social change, we have made racial discourse a significant component of our courses. We have found that white students typically note that they are tired of reading about oppression and the perceived privilege they receive in this country. Conversely, many students of color are outraged at what they see as white students’ disinterest and inability to engage in a meaningful discussion about race. Consequently, the aim of “The Words of Our Students” is to shine a light on the conversations about race (not) occurring at the beginning of the 21st century. We hope that the performance helps illustrate both the need for and the effect of promoting dialogue between audience members that breaches contemporary conventions for conversations about race.
