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Theatre workshop looks at harassment

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Might Never Happen, Doll's Eye Theatre, school workshops, street harassmentEducational workshop explores various aspects and perspectives of street harassment.

Research and campaigning from the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) has shown that 85 per cent of young women have experienced some form of sexual harassment in public over the past year.

Purple Drum has highlighted how black and minoritised young women are specifically targeted for racist sexual harassment.

Might Never Happen is a theatre education workshop created by Doll’s Eye Theatre in partnership with specialist violence prevention organisations. It highlights the impact of street harassment on young women and girls, and challenges harmful gender stereotypes affecting young women and men.

It has been designed to raise the issue of public sexual harassment safely, while promoting discussion and raising awareness of the problem.

Adapted from the full-length play of the same name, Might Never Happen explores the issue of street harassment from a number of perspectives including those of the victim, the harasser and the bystander.

The play addresses sexist and racist harassment, as well as how these can both be experienced at the same time.

Using short vignettes the show covers topics such as the unrealistic beauty standards girls are encouraged to aspire to, the ways in which men and boys are expected to be tough and unemotional, and the media discourse on sexual harassment directed against minority young women.

It was created from original research by Dr Fiona Vera-Gray and Dr Maria Garner into everyday gendered practices.

The show is delivered over a double period – an average of 100 minutes – with the play lasting approximately 50 minutes followed by a workshop to help young people unpick some of the issues raised.

It is free of charge to schools and other youth settings in London and the North-East, and teachers receive a detailed resource pack containing follow on lesson plans and suggested exercises.

The Doll’s Eye Theatre was founded by Amy Ewbank, and it aim is to create work which challenges audience perception of gender.

Since the conception of the company, the Doll’s Eye Theatre has produced two sell-out theatre productions, which received four and five star reviews across the board.

Might Never Happen was written by founding company members, and the Doll’s Eye Theatre is working with Purple Drum, the team at Imkaan committed to archiving and amplifying young black women’s voices, and the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (Rape Crisis South London).

Bookings for the free sessions for the 2017/18 school year are currently being taken.

To find out more about the project, click here.

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