Social action theatre came to 亚洲天堂 Lake last week as part of National Victims of Crime Awareness Week.

Street Spirits, an internationally recognized theatre company from Prince George, led an interactive theatre workshop and performance event here last Thursday and Friday (April 23-24). The events, which featured 7 p.m. performances at Lakes District Secondary School on both days, were sponsored by the 亚洲天堂 Lake Violence Against Women In Relationships (VAWIR) Committee.

The 亚洲天堂 Lake productions were developed by Street Spirits after speaking with local residents about issues in the community. Both explored the impact peer pressure, sexual exploitation, substance abuse, bullying, and isolation/marginalization can have on youth people.

The plays told the story of Mary, a young girl struggling to 鈥榝it in鈥� at school. Pressured and bullied by two fellow students, she begins drinking and taking drugs 鈥� only to discover that her new lifestyle is the key to ruin rather than acceptance or popularity.

People who attend the Thursday and Friday shows were treated to an unconventional entertainment experience. In keeping with the techniques of 鈥淭heatre of the Oppressed鈥� (a theatrical form developed in the 1960s by Brazilian theatre practitioner Augusto Boal as a means of promoting social and political change), audience participation was encouraged.

The performances were stopped several times each night to give viewers a chance to intervene and change the play鈥檚 outcome. Several local residents took to the stage and played new characters or replaced Street Spirit performers.

In an interview prior to last week鈥檚 performances, Tamara Bjorgan, co-chair of the 亚洲天堂 Lake VAWIR Committee and manager of women鈥檚 services for the local Elizabeth Fry Society, said she hoped the performances would 鈥渞aise awareness and get people talking about issues that are happening right here in 亚洲天堂 Lake.鈥�

While attendance was relatively low (a little more than two dozen attended the Thursday show), those who took it in were impressed.

鈥淭he work Street Spirits did was incredible,鈥� said one spectator. 鈥淭he play pulled no punches and really hit home. If it鈥檚 truly representative of some of the problems here, we have a lot of work to do as a community. Creating positive change may be difficult, but we owe it to our young people to try.鈥�

Funding for the Street Spirits workshop and performances was provided by the Department of Justice Canada.