PORT TOWNSEND — “Radical Consent: Intimacy, Boundaries and Sex,” an interactive theater performance and community dialogue, will be presented in one show only at 7 p.m. Monday.
The show featuring the Poetic Justice Theatre Ensemble will be at the Cotton Building at 607 Water St.
Admission is free with donations welcome. Light refreshments will be served.
The show is presented by the Mandala Center for Change in association with Dove House Advocacy Services.
The theatrical dialogue is part of an array of events sponsored by Dove House during Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
“But radical consent is not just about sexual assault and rape,” said Teresa Shiraishi of Dove House. “It is about intimacy and healthy relationships. It is about knowing what you want, communicating what you want and the safety and freedom to have it honored.”
“Radical Consent” is for anyone who wishes to explore the universal quest to express one’s needs and navigate how to respectfully get them met, organizers said.
“As a man, I think this event is important for all men, even the well-intentioned, to raise our consciousness,” said Marc Weinblatt, founder of the Mandala Center and Poetic Justice.
“It can be humbling to hear how much our social programming has impact and can hurt, even the ones we love.”
Audience members will be invited to share personal stories, struggles and experiences, which will be brought to life by the actors through physical imagery and improvisation.
The audience will ultimately be invited onstage to actively explore solutions to the complex questions raised.
Youths to elders are invited to participate in this public event or come and simply witness the process.
The performance may contain mature subject matter and could be unsettling to very young children, organizers warn.
Now in its 16th season, Port Townsend’s Poetic Justice Theatre Ensemble is a multi-ethnic, multi-generational (currently ages 15-76) troupe of local actors/activists who use interactive theater as a tool for awareness and social change.
The approach is based on the Theatre of the Oppressed work of Brazilian Augusto Boal and Playback Theatre developed by Americans Jonathan Fox and Jo Salas.
The techniques are used all over the world for social and political activism, conflict resolution, community building, therapy and government legislation.
A program of the Mandala Center for Change, the Poetic Justice Theatre Ensemble was developed as a local community resource to stimulate dialogue and invite positive action towards the creation of a more just and joyous world for all people, organizers said.
For more information on Poetic Justice, contact the Mandala Center at www.mandalaforchange.com.
Dove House Advocacy Services offers help to survivors of crime and abuse in Jefferson County, providing crisis intervention, emergency food and shelter, medical and legal advocacy, individual support and counseling support groups. Services also include therapy for child and adult victims, and a 24-hour crisis line.
All client services are confidential and free of charge.
Learn more at www.dovehousejc.org.
