FYS: Storytelling, Identity, and Social Change - Voices from the Battlefront, Roadside Theater [tekst, tłumaczenie i interpretacja piosenki]

"One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime."

This alarming fact is not only a sad and unfortunate truth for women in the United States, but is also an important reason why organizations like Roadside Theater puts on productions such as, “Voices from the Battlefront.” Roadside Theater’s website states its mission as, “to create intercultural plays that explore issues of race, place and class; to strive for artistic excellence and a vital relationship with its poor and working — middle class audiences; and to serve as a resource to communities regionally and nationally that desire to stage their local life.” As an extension of this, Roadside developed the play “Voices from the Battlefront,” which tells stories of victims of domestic violence in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. Though Roadside’s version of the play is based in this location, it pertains to domestic violence and abuse in communities all over the nation.

After a year-long residency with a women’s shelter in Norton, Virginia known as HOPE House, Voices from the Battlefront was created. On its website a fact sheet by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence is posted, giving information and statistics of how domestic abuse impacts families in every part of the country. With terrifying and saddening facts such as, “only approximately one-quarter of all physical assaults, one-fifth of all rapes, and one-half of all stalkings perpetuated against females by intimate partners are reported to the police,” and “witnessing violence between one’s parents or caretakers is the strongest risk factor of transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next,” the frequency and severity of this issue is Roadside’s motivation to raise awareness.

Voices from the Battlefront was first conducted in 2002, involving volunteers and survivors who told true stories of domestic violence. It has gone on ever since as a five hour long play and workshop that allows people from communities all over the nation to hear different voices and points of view on the topic of domestic abuse. After watching the show they then reflect back on what they’ve seen, relating it to their own diverse lives and communities. The script is written and directed by Donna Porterfield who chose stories that would shed different lights on domestic abuse, and even portray conflicting points of view.

The point of the show is to target many different types of audiences, but mainly those communities who commonly see domestic abuse or have experienced it themselves. The play acts to raise awareness and speaks to those people going through the same situation, or more so, those around who may be able to step in and get help. The actors in the play are used as the storytellers. Their voices act as symbols for the voices silenced by domestic violence. Telling stories so common to the stories of women in those situations:

“If there’s one thing I’m worn out with, it’s people saying to me, “Well, why don’t you just leave,” like they think I want to live in all this pain and misery. Do they ever ask, “Well, why doesn’t he just stop?” I think that would be a better question to spend your time thinking about. “Why doesn’t he just stop?" (18).

It's stories like these that the actors tell that truly speak and relate to victims of abuse. They work to also get witnesses of domestic violence to think twice about others experiences.

Roadside Theater’s “Voices from the Battlefront” is so important because it raises awareness for victims of domestic violence everywhere. By bringing up the conversation about domestic abuse in different communities of those who are plagued with this problem, it helps to ignite the motivation in people to act for a change. With organizations and movements like these people all over the nation are given a chance to understand what is happening in their communities, how to lose stigmas about those situations, and become aware enough that they are inspired to help.