Champions
Sarah Winter
"For the vast majority violence against women remain[s] a taboo issue, invisible in society and a shameful fact of life" Former Special Rapporteur, Radhika Coomaraswamy¹
Background
Sarah Winter is in her final year of a creative industries degree at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Sarah is also arts project manager and assistant director of Taboo, a production by tertiary students about violence against women.
Sarah, what's Taboo?
Taboo is a physical theatre show that educates young people about domestic violence in their communities and encourages them to take a stand against violence against women. It's a collaborative project between Amnesty International and QUT Creative Industries, comprised of a collection of scenes - all based on people's real life experiences of domestic violence - which makes it all the more powerful.
What drew you to this kind of work?
I've always been interested in theatre as a means for change. Verbatim (which means word for word from people interviewed) and community theatre can provide platforms for intervention, a means to reflect and to learn something. It allows people to jump into the characters they see and learn through them subconsciously.
What are some of the areas covered by the performance?
We focus on issues such as men talking to men about domestic violence, violence against women by women, violence against women by men and services available to women but the underlying issue for the whole performance is about respect between men and women. Each piece advocates mutual respect and encourages people to speak out about gender issues.
How did you go about creating the script? Was it based on real life?
We had a process of everyone involved going away and doing their own individual research, gathering poignant stories. Then we all sat down together and looked at the stories and considered whether they met the criteria of being empowering, educating, telling a well rounded story, and being uplifting without downplaying the seriousness of the issue. We also held a forum with some survivors of domestic violence, the people who work with the survivors, and the police. We wanted to gather as much information and speak to as diverse group of people connected to domestic violence as we could, to ensure that we got the most holistic, fully rounded perspective possible. The whole process was amazing! I wish everyone had the opportunity to go through it. It has made me so much more aware of what's happening in society and also within my own little world. I now feel more empowered to speak out.
Taboo is an interesting title. Why do you think it's a taboo topic?
It's not taboo per se in that people do talk about it but the conversation often gets glossed over, joked about or talked about generally not personally. So it's breaking the taboo that it's not something to be ashamed of, and changing people's comfort level to be able to speak about their own experiences. People don't realise it really is quite prevalent in society and affects SO many people.
Why were schools chosen to raise awareness about domestic violence?
Students are more open to change and their behaviours perhaps haven't had a chance to set in yet. We consulted a child/adolescent psychologist who recommended targeting students aged 15-18. With this age group we could be explicit enough and delve into the physicality of it without freaking them out and mollycoddling them. We really hope that by taking the production out to schools, we'll be able to create a generational shift of perspective that will encourage the younger generation to view gender roles differently. Perhaps we won't ever see the immediate results of this change but if 10-15 years on, people find themselves in similar positions and realise that it's not right, take action or speak out then that's a huge result!
What is the future for this project?
We're just about to take it to 4 Brisbane schools that support Amnesty. We'll gather feedback for Amnesty from teachers and students at those schools. Hopefully through positive dialogue and feedback we'll be able to get accreditation and funding to take it around to more schools. I know all the performers are 100% committed to the project, it's hard not to be committed and enthused and dedicated when you've heard so many people's real life experiences.
Has this experience influenced you professionally?
Definitely! On two different levels - it's made me more aware of the logistical side of a community arts project such as funding issues, project management, liaising between organisations and being aware of the different avenues for grants. And artistically, working with the director Anna Yen was very inspirational - she's managed to base a whole career on doing community arts projects to create change. Seeing how the show impacted and affected people really makes me want to work on more projects like this!
¹ Amnesty International. 2004 UN Commission on the Status of Women.
Violence against Women: universal but not inevitable!
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