Sinclair’s thought-provoking play raises awareness of sexual assault
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Katie Cappiello’s thoughtprovoking 2013 drama “Slut: The Play” will be presented at Sinclair Community College Nov. 13-16 in its intimate Black Box Theatre, Fourth Floor, Building 2, 444 W. Third St., Dayton.
Developed in collaboration with The Arts Effect All-Girl Theater Company, “Slut” is compiled from the real experiences of high school girls ages 14 to 17 that explore sexual assault and slut-shaming. Gloria Steinem notably deemed the work “truthful, raw and immediate” and David Remnick of The New Yorker praised it as “vital, moving and absolutely necessary.”
The production is part of Sinclair’s Free Expressions Series, a special brand of programming offering audiences topical, edgier shows for free. The Series has recently included “Bang Bang You’re Dead” and “The Vagina Monologues.”
“Not many people are willing to stage ‘Slut,’ but when I approached my dean and the diversity office, they didn’t blink an eye,” said director Gina Neuerer, chair of Sinclair’s Department of Music, Theatre and Dance. “They knew this play was important and that (Sinclair) had to speak out against sexual violence. It’s tremendous to have that kind of support at Sinclair, support you don’t get anywhere else. I love the fact that the birth of this play comes from Cappiello talking with young women. So, for me, the birth of creating this theatrical production comes from my desire to talk to Sinclair’s young women and help them realize they can use their art form, use theater, to speak out. And when it comes to sexual assault, there are more silent voices than loud voices.”
Neuerer says the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., prompted her to re-evaluate what theater can do to bring awareness to social issues. She hopes “Slut” brings the community together to share and heal.
“When I saw those young high school kids speak up,
I asked myself why I wasn’t speaking up?” she said. “I’m 50. What am I doing? ‘Slut’ is a reflection of our society and I don’t want Sinclair to hide in the shadows. We love to do shows like ‘Treasure Island’ and ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,’ and I’m thrilled we get to do that, but we must also remember there’s another side to what we do as well. We can reach our community in different ways through live theater.”
The cast includes Bryana Bentley, Callista Kinney, Kylee Pauley, Kiarra Matos, Becca Shelley, Alexis Paige, Leia Gaddis, Sabrina Smith, Lilly Robillard, Cormari Pullings, Rachel Charles, Matt Poliachik, Kasaahn Johnson and Devante Wheaton.
In addition to Cappiello’s Nov. 14 appearance at Sinclair, “Slut” will notably be adapted soon as a 10-part Netflix drama titled “Grand Army,” produced by Academy and Emmy Award nominee Beau Willimon (“The Ides of March,” “House of Cards”), whose political drama “Farragut North” won the Dayton Playhouse FutureFest when it was held at Sinclair in 2005.
Admission to “Slut: The Play” is free, but tickets must be reserved at sinclair.edu/ tickets.
Performance and companion events surrounding “Slut: The Play”
Wednesday, Nov. 13 Noon to 3 p.m. — Sexual Assault Resource Fair in the Green Room 2334, across from the Black Box Theatre, featuring campus and community organizations that offer support for survivors and victims of sexual assault as well as community education about the impact of sexual assault and rape culture.
7 p.m. — “Slut: The Play” performance preceded and followed by the Sexual Assault Resource Fair in Green Room 2334.
Thursday, Nov. 14
Noon — “Slut: The Play” performance, refreshments and socializing to follow immediately in the Green Room.
4 p.m. — Presentation on “rape culture” by playwright Katie Cappiello in Blair Hall Theatre. Event is free and open to all – no ticket required.
7 p.m. — “Slut: The Play” performance including a post-show Q&A with Cappiello.
Friday, Nov. 15
7 p.m. — “Slut: The Play” performance followed by a panel discussion on “rape culture” with community and campus resources representatives and experts including a representative from Dayton YWCA, Lydia Strauss from OhioHealth SARNCO, and Katherine Rowell from Sinclair Sociology Department.
Saturday, Nov. 16
7 p.m. — “Slut: The Play” performance followed by a panel discussion on “rape culture” with community and campus resources representatives and experts including a representative from YWCA, Sandra Hunt, director of the Montgomery County Victim Witness program, and Glenn Harris from Ohio Men’s Action Network (a program of Ohio Domestic Violence Network).
New & Olde Pages Book Shoppe will host its annual Holiday Open House from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 856 Union Boulevard in Englewood.
With a holiday atmosphere and refreshments, the open house also offers the chance to meet area authors who will be signing books just in time for holiday gift-giving. The authors are:
■ Gwendolyn Ilimaris — “The Whispers of Time — Chronicles of Asaetara Book 1,” a fantasy novel.
■ Jeanne Estridge —“The Demon Always Wins,” a paranormal romance.
■ Daisy Combs —“Innocence Lost,” a memoir of surviving the Golden State Killer.
■ Ruth Cronenberg & Marge Davis —“Stirring the