Sexual assault is not a popular dinner table conversation. It is often a subject that has a hard time finding its place in any conversation at all.
Instances of sexual assault at a distance, such as in the news, often spark the most public discussion. The trial of former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi, who was found not guilty of four counts of sexual assault, provoked heavy discussion and outrage in Canada. This was the inspiration for The Ghomeshi Effect, a dance-theatre production which opened at the Gladstone Theatre on Jan. 19.
The Ghomeshi Effect is the stories of sexual assault victims. In their own words, with their own memories and descriptions, the “script” of The Ghomeshi Effect is a compilation of verbatim interviews with survivors of sexual assault.
Interviews with lawyers that deal with sexual assault cases are also peppered throughout, as a major theme of the production is how sexual assault is handled in the legal system.
Creator and director Jessica Ruano said she conducted over 40 interviews with survivors of sexual assault, mostly from the Ottawa-Gatineau area. The subjects represented a wide range of age, race, gender, class, sexuality, and ability.
Ruano said she would have people over for tea and cookies at her kitchen table, and start the anonymous interviews whenever they were ready.
“It was perhaps not surprising, but notable, how many people apologized for telling their own stories,” Ruano said. “I think there’s a lot of shame and stigma attached to incidents of sexual violence, and even when you’re the victim or survivor of one of these incidents often people still feel responsible.”
These interviews all make it into the show paired with dance movements. Behind this is choreographer Amelia Griffin. Griffin and Ruano held a workshop with the actors in August, working to create a collection of movements that would later be matched to speech.
“It was . . . mapping out where was the most emotional or where was the heaviest part. For me, it was like, ‘Does movement need to soften that, or does movement need to amplify that?’” Griffin said.
Actor Marc André Charette is one of the six-person cast. He said he feels privileged to be representing the intimate stories of the survivors.
“In the end, we want this show to have some light, not to be a dark show, but of course it taps into emotions that can be challenging at times,” Charette said.
Ruano said there will be support workers in the lobby at every show, available to anyone at any time during the production.
“We don’t want people to feel like they’re stuck and that they have to watch,” Griffin added.
The crew behind the production said they are looking forward to the discussions and reactions their production will bring forward.
“People are going to have a reaction of some kind. It’s not one of those plays where it’s like ‘Oh that was nice, what do we do next?’ You’re probably going to want to talk about it afterwards,” Ruano said.
“One of my hopes is that we realize that sexual violence isn’t something that happens out there by a certain group of people, with a certain group of people—it’s an issue that affects us all. Every single day,” Griffin said.
The Ghomeshi Effect runs at the Gladstone Theatre from Jan. 19-28. Discounted tickets are available for students, and the production’s website also states it is “offering 20 free tickets every night, no questions asked, and encouraging paying patrons to pay-it-forward by purchasing tickets for those who cannot afford them.”
– Photo by Andre Alexander
