On Friday, March 4th, I attended a one-woman show by the very awesome P. Precious Porter at the University of DC:
The show was billed as a "performance that will allow you to see domestic violence through the eyes of all victims. This is a FREE public service event in support of victims/survivors of domestic violence. You will be given an opportunity to donate Mary Kay or purchase some for yourself to support victims/survivors who receives service from Romona's Way."
The program, "No More Drama: Love Should Not Hurt" was approximately 90 minutes long and covered the spectrum from relationship violence to sexual assault. A representative from Ramona's Way was in attendance as well as a representative from from Mary Kay.
Precious delivers an emotional and eye opening view into the different phases of an abusive relationship as well as the impact on the survivors, their immediate family and friends. Further, she included interviews with actual survivors as part of the performance. I was one such indivdual interviewed for the show.
While I knew I was part of the performance having previously agreed and been interviewed for the project, I hadn't yet experienced it personally. I had already been emotionally on edge during the first part of the performance. Once my own recording came through the speakers, I held my breath and hoped for the best. While I did get emotional while listening to my portion, I was proud that I had done it and and judging by the reactions of some of the other members of the audience, it had made an impact. I did experience that common mixture of panic attack and exposure that many survivors have described following their own public disclosures. In the end, I was proud to be a part of this project and in awe of the performance created by Precious.
I don't know when this show will come again, as this one was a one-off fundraiser, but I'll be sure to post a link at that time.
Thank you Precious and to everyone who attended and donated to better the lives of domestic violence survivors.
Relevant Links: