BREAKING THE SILENCE
A play to highlight the issue of childhood sexual abuse, Positively Shameless witnessed a packed audience
Childhood sexual abuse not only victimises teenagers, but also very young children under the age of six. So when artistes Kavya Bose, Sathyam AP, Sharanya Iyer, Shilpa Waghmare and Vijji Chari came to Lamakaan on Friday to present the play Positively Shameless that addresses the same issue, it was no surprise to see the venue packed with several women and parents. The play, directed by Bengaluru-based Shabari Rao and Maitri Gopalakrisna, was hosted by Hyderabad-based organisations, Break the Silence and Kriti Social Initiatives. Already staged eight times at different venues across the country, the 60-minute piece had brilliant acting and received a standing ovation at the end.
From one character telling the story of how her uncle had misbehaved with her when she was young, and the society labelling another as having anger management issues when she fought against her father, to conveying the importance of parents protecting their children and the victims saying no when they need to, the play had a strong message for all.
Maitri Gopalakrisna, co-director and drama therapist, says, “One in two has experienced childhood sexual abuse, which is why we’re doing this. It all started in 2015, when I was looking at drama therapy as an intervention for adult women who have experienced CSA, and that’s when I met these five artistes and Shabari Rao, a dancer. It’s exciting to host the play here in Hyderabad.”
Hannah Angela, a student from St Ann’s Degree College, says, “It shows what happens to a girl child in a society and how they are not allowed to raise their voices. I haven’t experienced CSA, but I could still connect with the characters.”
Ankita, an art teacher, said, “Due to a lack of personal experience, I couldn’t connect really well. But there was a lot of depth and the play was well presented.”