Equal Pay from Orlando presented Candles in the Dark at Orlando Fringe. As the audience filtered into the theater the stage had empty chairs on stage. The lights dimmed and many women and one man walked on to the stage with candles and sat down in the seats which faces in all directions. A woman stood and faced the audience. She began to tell her story of sexual abuse and assault. Each character in turn took center to bravely recount the most horrific moments of their lives.
Each of these anonymous stories was written by local survivors of sexual abuse. 1 in 5 females and 1 in 33 men will be the victim of sexual abuse in their lifetime. Proceeds from the shows were then donated to the Victim Service Center of Central Florida. The Center serves all victims of sexual assault , violent crime an traumatic circumstance through free and confidential intervention, therapy advocacy and outreach.
Tracy Jane compiled all the stories which were then performed by 9 performers on stage. I knew one actress, Marcie Schwalm who had done a solo in the past which was a very personal story from her past. I asked myself if this was the case again but I was told that the stories were written anonymously. The emotions seemed very visceral and direct. Cindy Sherden directed the cast. Thought unnerving and heart wrenching it was an honor to hear these stories about these crimes that happen too often and often go unreported.