It's not every day where a total of 99 people, comprised of both students and professors comes together for one cause. On Thursday, September 29th, at Adelphi University, an event was put on to raise awareness of sexual assault. Now You See Me/ Now You Hear Me was a two-part event. The first part, Now You See Me took a look at a scene after an assault. Set up as a bedroom scene, girls with bruised makeup sat in the scene and allowed people to come up to them and engage.
Now You Hear Me was a reading of “The Stamford Rape Victim's” Letter as well as Vice President, Joe Biden’s response. 99 students, professors, university employees, even Adelphi’s President Christine Riordan participated in the readings.
One of the events coordinators, Isuri Wijesundara, a junior acting major and LGS student, who was involved with the project from the beginning. We sat down and and she was gracious enough to answer a few questions on the project.
What made you Interested in getting involved in a project such as this?
“Since Freshman year I've been involved with using theatre as a tool for expressing issues of social justice within our society, thanks to my mentor Prof. Maggie Lally. Every year we've focused on a different pressing issue that the university decides would be the theme of the year. Since racial injustice is the theme for two years straight, and the Stanford rape incident took the headlines over the summer, we decided that addressing campus sexual assault was of vital importance. There's so much happening around us that we are not the slightest aware of, so that is why we decided this was what we would address this year. The idea did spring up from a prior project that was done in a class I was in headed by Dr. Thornburg where our project was titled #nowUCme because it was an interruption in the UC with life size cutouts of real YikYak posts from campus. So, we had a meeting over the summer, and it turned out a lot bigger than we initially anticipated, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.”
What do you hope people got out of watching this performance piece?
“It’s one thing to read something, but it’s another to hear it. A lot of people were either not aware of this case, which was shocking in itself, but a lot had also stayed away from reading the letter because it was too much to take. But hearing it from people you go to school with, people you've seen on multiple occasions, people you party with, professors you learn from, people who help you around the school was astounding in the fact that it really adds substance and gravity to her words. We also wanted to honor her by giving her words a chance to come to life with meaning and with honor. I hope those in the audience and those who watched the live stream were able to feel that we are one community and that the well-being and safety of one another depends on all of us. It’s in fact a responsibility instilled in humanity that we so often fail to realize.”
Do you think that this project changed people's perception of sexual assault changed through this process?
“I certainly hope so. I can't definitely say yes because it is a subject that's very difficult to feel brave about or come out about overnight. People take their time to find their courage again, because these are often stories they've suppressed for long periods of time. People also start blaming themselves which should stop, because it wasn't their fault, it was the oppressors! The blame is a product of how society has made this issue look like over the years. Through this process and through the overflowing attendance in the Olmsted Theatre that afternoon, I can very definitely say that we have made it an issue that everyone is aware of. And it is very heartwarming by the number of people who've thanked both Maggie and myself for bringing this issue to the surface. Everyone who attended and watched, now know the right people to seek the right help from if anything was to happen, or they feel unsafe. Someone has a friend who saw this event and who knows. We just ask that you don't be a bystander, but that you help your friends reach justice.”
What was the process like to put on a huge project such as this?
“It was a lot going on behind the scenes. Maggie was involved with getting the partners together, coordinating that end of it with the offices, parsing out the letter to make it a script and more. Jaclyn (Lusardi) took over the technical aspect of the event, from getting the Closed Captions to work right, to coordinating the ushers and stage managers backstage. I took charge over the form that everyone filled out, so from making the form, to getting the 99 people together, sending out the numerous emails, figuring out rehearsal schedules, getting in touch with non-profit organizations that would be credible to have on board with us for the project and going forward. It was a collaborative effort! And we thank our partners for their support from recruiting participants to getting us the furniture from Residential Life for “Now You See Me” . It was a lot from behind the scenes that's hard to explain, but it wouldn't have been possible without the volunteers, participants, the determination and the NEED to create a difference on our campus!”
In only one rehearsal all 99 participants came together. The outcome was astonishing. Well over 200 people were in attendance, the Olmsted Theatre was standing room only. While I was fortunate enough to be on the stage management crew for this event, I stood at the side of the theatre, completely amazed of the amount of people there. No matter what personal opinions there were about the case, this event did create a difference. At the very least, it has made the campus more aware of sexual assault. It has shown that bruises and scars are not always seen. There’s always something sensational when 200 plus people are giving a standing ovation, but with this piece, it showed how much this piece impacted people. “To girls everywhere, I am with you.”
Please take the time to watch the full “Now You See Me” event. It’s well worth the time.
