Theatre for Community Health performs for a cause

By Kesley Joachim
Western Herald

On Western Michigan University’s campus last week, between classes, the Theatre for Community Health put on productions about sexual awareness and safety.

“I took a scene, ‘In Our Blood,’ from the play ‘Great Sexpectations,’ which explains how not wearing a condom when sleeping with someone means you are sleeping with everyone that that person has slept with,” said Dr. Christine Iaderosa, director of the Theatre for Community Health. “I then put my own spin on it and had 18 students in couples held together with red ribbons, signifying blood, and create living statues.”

“I have heard the term ‘improv everywhere’ when talking about our human statues,” Iaderosa said. “’Improv everywhere’ is where a group of people seem to spontaneously do something, which is what we do but we are hoping that our group grows to contain more people.”

In addition to performing, the Theatre passed out fliers about sexual responsibility and reminders to wear condoms and passed out free condoms to encourage safe sex.

Courtesy of Christine Iaderosa - Theatre for Community Health student performers act out “In Our Blood” at Miller Plaza last Tuesday.

The Theatre for Community Health has been active for over 15 years, creating peer education outreach productions that tour WMU classrooms, residence halls and nearby campuses. Student actors audition for, help create, and perform the theatre productions.
Themes for the production include discussion of sex and healthy relationships, the college alcohol culture, and diversity issues.

“’Great Sexpectations’ talks about sexual health,” Iaderosa said. “Things such as safe sex practices, abstinence if you choose, but if not, we explain to students to be aware of the sexual choices they make, to be aware of sexual assault, and how to handle relationships and maintain safe and respectful relationships.”

Other productions include “Real Buzz,” an alcohol awareness play.

“We don’t tell students not to drink, but to drink responsibly,” Iaderosa said. “Telling them it is okay to drink in moderation. So many images show students that they have to binge drink or get wasted to have a good time and be ‘in.’ With this play we are trying to counteract this image and show that drinking can be casual and used for enjoyment.”

“Fireflies,” a new play Dr. Iaderosa recently wrote, opens in mid-March in the residence halls and touches on the themes of diversity.

“Diversity is a loaded word,” Iaderosa said. “This play is more about the environment and dehumanization. I tried to make the play about being aware of things we say and the environments we condone and how these things cause us to dehumanize other people.”
Iaderosa also hopes that “Fireflies” helps promote the group FIRE, (Fighting Ignorance and Rape through Education), and the FIRE Place, a place where survivors and allies of all types of assualt can come to produce projects together and talk. The FIRE Place is located in room 3130 of the Sindecuse Health Center and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Upcoming performances by the Theatre for Community Health include performances in Bigelow Dining Hall and a flash-mob dance piece for “Take Back the Night,” which is held in April to help promote national Sexual Assault Awareness month and increase awareness and understanding of violence against women.

Auditions for the Theatre are held every September, December, and April.

More information on the Theatre for Community Health can be found on the Sindecuse Health Center Web site at www.wmich.edu/shc.

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Feb 25 2010. Filed under A & E. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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