The John Jay College students’ 2022 performance “Seeing Rape” uses short plays drawn from fictional yet personal, actual experiences to display unique and informative insights into the topic rape and sexual violence. Sexual violence entails unconsented sexual activity/act on one or more persons following intimidation, manipulation, pressure, or bullying (Bagwell-Gray et al., 2015). The seeing rape performance (2022) informs on the societal, cultural, and historical contexts influencing rape culture to uncover its complex interplay with gender, alcohol and substance abuse, social norms, power, and sexuality. Moreover, the performance depicts how the sensitive and controversial subject rape influences the interpretation and occurrence of rape across diverse societies. The performance has the potential to elicit thoughtful responses and evoke strong emotions. Therefore, this analysis uses personal experience and interpretation of the play to critically analyze each play’s contribution to sexual violence to illustrate further personal understanding of the different perspectives on rape.
Theoretical Perspectives of Rape
While the reactions to witnessing a performance on rape can be diverse and multifaceted, its portrayal on stage often makes women confront the grim reality of sexual violence, evoking a sweep of emotional responses. At the beginning of the seeing rape performance (2022), we are introduced to the short play Heisman by Sequan Hayes. The narrator validates his unconsented sexual advance on girls following his NFL status and fame. According to him, “he is too good for the girls in her school,” implying the school girls he sexually advances should be grateful. As a woman, I am disappointed and angered by watching this play since it endorses rape culture by perpetuating harmful beliefs reinforced by power imbalances between genders. Witnessing the play that seemingly validates sexual violence against women based on a man’s fame and status spiked a reflection on the prevalence and consequence of such a societal mindset on women’s safety and gender equality. Moreover, the scene precipitates discussions on the toxic impacts of entitlement and is a reminder of existing power dynamics that often underpin sexual violence acts. Relating the play to my personal life triggers experiences in situations where I have been pressured into unwanted advances due to imbalances in power. It prompts the need to set boundaries, promote respect, assert agency, and challenge societal norms that lead to rape.
The portrayal of rape grounded on hyper-masculinity is visible in the short play My Brother’s Best Friend by Mayada Moussad, where Amal is raped by Tyler, her brother’s best friend. The play evokes sadness, shock, and anger as I witness Amal’s pleas being ignored and her violation at the hands of a person she trusted. As a woman, I am profoundly disturbed and empathetic toward Amal’s helplessness and anger toward the perpetrator. The play brings a sense of solidarity with Amal since it resonates with the unfortunate reality of victims of sexual violence. The scene raises thoughts on the pervasive nature and consequence of rape culture, highlighting the societal attitudes that make sexual violence persist. It further illuminates the emotional impact experienced by rape survivors. As a female viewer, I contemplate on shame and emptiness felt by Amal and recognize the emotional and psychological toll that rape inflicts on its victims. This brings to mind an instance of sexual harassment; I witnessed that encouraged me to speak on respect, seek justice and support the victim.
Like Amal, Nivea is raped by a person she trusts as the play Uncertainty reveals the dismissal and misunderstanding of sexual violence within couples. Nivea’s sexual violence by her boyfriend highlights the misconceptions about rape within intimate relationships. As a female viewer, I am drawn to Nivea’s lack of unawareness and understanding founded in pervasive societal beliefs perpetuating victim-blaming and contributing harmful stereotypes about rape. Also, I relate to Nivea’s feeling of being invalidated and unheard, which makes her ask for advice from her friend and sister. This reflects the struggle most rape victims face when seeking understanding and support within their inner social circles, further sparking the need for increased determination, awareness, and empathy to tackle harmful misconceptions. The plays prompt reflection on societal attitudes that limit the understanding of sexual violence within couples bringing to attention the need for education on healthy relationships and consent to aid in the recognition that sexual violence occurring within relationships. This play calls for the need to examine my relationships and assess if there visible features of healthy dynamics and clear communication on consent.
Stigmatization and victim-blaming in the play “Until Death Do Us Part” by Taeho Lee shows Kate, a rape victim, being stigmatized and blamed by her husband for her sexual violation. The play evokes sadness and empathy as one connects Kate’s story to experiences of stigmatization. The play acts as a reminder of the social barriers rape victims face as they seek justice and support, thus creating the need for change in victim-blaming attitudes. After watching the play, I contemplated the negative consequences of victim-blaming, particularly the emotional impact on survivors and their ability to heal. This calls for the need to create safe spaces for rape victims to share their experiences without fear of harm or judgment.
As other performances display experiences of rape across different cultures and minorities, as seen in the play Thirteen Years of Solitude by Izabela Qafa, Illegal by Yesenia Menjivar, and Hidden by Muhammad Khan, they similarly add knowledge to the topic of sexual violence.
References
Bagwell-Gray, M. E., Messing, J. T., & Baldwin-White, A. (2015). Intimate partner sexual violence: A review of terms, definitions, and prevalence. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 16(3), 316-335.
John Jay College. (2022). Seeing Rape 2022 performances [Video]. Seeing Rape. https://www.seeingrape.com
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