Houston sex trafficking takes center stage in ‘No One Owns Me’
Talk about timely.
January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and Houston’s A.D. Players at The George Theater is presenting “No One Owns Me,” opening Jan. 26, as a vehicle for drawing attention to this issue. They’re even partnering with four nonprofit organizations — Elijah Rising, Unbound Houston, The Landing and Houston’s United Against Human Trafficking — that combat sex trafficking.
“No One Owns Me,” by Chris Cragin-Day, associate professor of English and theater at The King’s College, and Pia Wilson, follows the story of Macey, a young woman who yearns to be a singer-songwriter but gets tangled up in the dark and cruel world of prostitution. She is in conversations with a counselor, Carla, a past victim of human traffickers, who tries to help Macey find a way out.
“I can’t talk enough about this play,” says A.D. Players artistic director Kevin Dean. “The genesis of this play started a few years ago, when executive director Jack Speck and our development director, Sheri Suarez-Foreman, and I took a van tour with Elijah Rising around the Galleria area, and we were blown away with the number of brothels, strip clubs and massage parlors that all contributed to the humantrafficking plague in Houston. They hide in plain sight. It is rampant in our backyard, and we felt compelled to tell a story that reflected that.”
After that experience, the A.D. Players commissioned two playwrights. “One of the playwrights, Chris Cragin-Day, was able to take a van tour and we were able to spend time with a survivor to get more insight into the industry specific to Houston,” says Dean.
The play addresses how prostitution might give victims the feeling that they have some agency in their lives, at least temporarily. But it does not shy away from the abuse and exploitation that such a life involves. Many victims think they have a personal relationship or connection with their pimp, who might play the part of a “boyfriend,” but as the play states, that same person “could kill me if he wanted to.”
“No One Owns Me” was developed through the Metzler New Works Festival with staged readings and workshops.
“We are a big believer in commissioning work that reflects our Christian worldview,” Dean says.“It is a two-person play, with a young woman caught up in this world and her counselor who is trying to get her out.”
Instead of a stage with traditional seating, Dean explains, “We are turning the stage itself into a black box theater, with risers on the stage. The actors will be on stage with the audience around them. We wanted to tell the story in a much more intimate setting for a more immediate and visceral experience. This story is very localized to Houston, so we wanted to bring the audience much closer to the action.”
Both actresses in the production live in New York but are originally from Texas. Johnique Mitchell plays Carla, while 19year-old Macey is played by Bethany Eggleston, who is from Houston.
“I hope audiences experience a call to action, and a better understanding of what is going on in our own backyard and how we can help,” says Dean. “I want to raise awareness of this issue.”
By partnering with multiple nonprofit entities, this play draws awareness to the human toll trafficking takes on individuals. The organizations are “all fighting the same battle, although using different methods.” Through this production, Dean explains. “We want people to know this is happening and these are some steps you can take to combat that.”