This past week, I had the pleasure of going to see the LSU Theater's performance of Naomi Iizuka's one act play, "Good Kids". The production was directed by LSU Theater's Head of Undergraduate Performance, Richard Holden and held in LSU's Reilly Theater. The play was intense, and the content was sometimes difficult to swallow, but it was about a subject that cannot be ignored.
You see, "Good Kids" is the story and analysis of a horrendous event that occurs amongst a group of high school students at a party. It is about an issue that we can all take seriously, even if we can't relate to it ourselves: rape. Based on the true events of the 2012 Steubenville High School rape case, the story is narrated by a mysterious girl in a wheelchair named Deirdre, played by Maja Dupas, who takes us step by step through the events that led up to the victimization of Chloe, played by Laine Korn, by a group of high school football players. Taking us backwards and forwards in time and showing different perspectives of what happened, Deirdre shows us all of the events that led up the assault as well as the aftermath.
The play directly addresses the issue of sexual assault by bringing up elements of the issue that aren't always talked about. It examines the roles of each person involved and how Chloe's situation could have been prevented. Through character dialogue and discussion, the play challenges the common tendency to blame the girl--the,"she was asking for it," view. It challenges the definition of rape, reminding us that rape isn't something that only happens in dark corners of alleyways by sick men that we don't know. It brings a level of responsibility to everyone involved, and asks those who did not commit the crime the question: "How did you let this happen?"
Examining all of these issues, the play reveals that in this case, no one was acting very out of the ordinary. When trying to understand how this happened, the characters assert, "We're good kids... all of us." Through the script and the representation of the characters, the audience is able to find an understanding for the actions of just about everyone. Yes, Chloe could have had a little less to drink and could have dressed less promiscuously, and maybe that would have prevented her assault. Yes, maybe it wouldn't have happened if her friends had paid better attention to her. It could have been avoided possibly if the mean girls at the party hadn't called her a slut. And it could have been stopped by the people who stood by and did nothing out of cowardice. And finally, if only those star football players, the sweethearts of the town, had taken two seconds to think about the horrendous nature of what they were doing before they did it, this could have all been prevented.
The fact is that it wasn't though. It was the combination of the small and large mistakes of many people that allowed a girl's life and reputation to be tarnished forever. "Good Kids" points out that this could happen to any ordinary person in any ordinary place.
The play also brings to light the reality of social media's presence in these types of incidents today. We live in a new world-- one where information can be shared, saved, spread at the click of a button. Sexual assault has a new meaning when combined with social media-- it is made public. However, as the play goes to show, sometimes this can be used to bring about justice and help to victims.
The superb presentation of this production by LSU Theater left me with a lot to consider. It gave me a new perspective on how prevalent sexual assault really is. This is an issue that is reality in so many of our lives as students and as peers, and an understanding of it is vital in our society today if we have any chance of preventing it in the future.
