Burnt Thicket Theatre gives reading of She Has A Name at MRU human trafficking event

Theatre Company reaches halfway point in bid to raise funds to take critically acclaimed play across Canada in 2012

Calgary, Alberta (February 01, 2012) – Burnt Thicket Theatre (BTT) is proud to present a reading from She Has A Name at Mount Royal University’s “They Have a Name” event on February 16, an evening focused on the disturbing topic of human trafficking.  Cast members from the 2011 world premiere, (Cari Russell and Glenda Warkentin), will join director Stephen Waldschmidt in a staged reading of the first act of Andrew Kooman’s critically acclaimed play. BTT and Raise Their Voice are planning a six-month cross-Canada tour later this year.

The February 16 event features Yvon Dandurand, a leading international expert in the modern slave trade and criminal justice, who will bring his keynote address, along with a book signing by John Winterdyk, Director of Mount Royal University’s Centre for Criminology & Justice Research, who co-edited the recently published Human Trafficking: Exploring the International Nature, Concerns, and Complexities. “They Have a Name” is an event sponsored by the Faculty of Continuing Education, and the presentations will be followed by an informal reception.

The 2012 Tour of She Has A Name has a unique role to play in shaping Canada’s culture and Canadians’ response to the global industry of sex trafficking. “She Has a Name is a powerful piece of theatre that will shock and motivate Canadians from Halifax to Victoria to take action,” says Waldschmidt. “I’m also grateful to report that we’re halfway to our goal of fundraising $120,000 by February 29 in order to get the show on the road.”

Burnt Thicket Theatre and Raise Their Voice are soliciting sponsorship from corporations, small businesses, non-profit and religious organizations, as well as donations from the private sector.

WHAT: “They Have a Name – Human Trafficking” WHEN: February 16, 2012, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM WHERE: EC 1050 in the Roderick Mah Centre for Continuous Learning Mount Royal University, 4825 Mount Royal Gate SW, Calgary COST: Regular Rate: $35+GST (CRN 31024) Nonprofit Rate: $30+GST (CRN 31025) MRU Alumni/Faculty/Staff Rate: $25+GST (CRN 31027) Student Rate: $15+GST (CRN 31026)   HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS: Faculty of Continuing Education and Extension Registration Services: (403) 440-3833 or www.mtroyal.ca/conted/register Toll-free 1-877-287-8001 Please quote Course Registration Number (CRN) Event website:http://www.mtroyal.ca/ProgramsCourses/ContinuingEducation/TheyHaveAName/index.htm

Was happy to get the latest issue of Eye See Magazine in the mail this week.  The magazine’s co-founder, Darcie Nolan, flew up to Canada to see the premiere of She Has A Name and features the play in their Freedom issue.  Looking forward to reading through the magazine which continues to get better with age!

If you’re looking for ways to learn about different justice issues or want to be inspired by stories from around the world of people making a real difference, I encourage you to subscribe to the magazine. You’ll be motivated and equipped to address justice issues once you have the publication in your hand!

Visit them online!  You’ll be glad you did: eyeseeonline.com

Sex+ Money: A National Search for Human Worth is a profound and moving film that looks at the reality of child-sex trafficking in the United States.  I had the privilege to work alongside members of the crew who authored a book about the issue and have been following their story ever since.

I was able to see the film and catch up with the filmmakers in person when it was screened in Vancouver, BC earlier in the year.  It deeply impacted me.  The film is a must-see.  The filmmakers are humble heralds of a difficult but important message.  I’ve been inspired to follow their journey across the USA as they get the word out that trafficking isn’t just something that happens “over there, away from where we live,” but exists, even thrives, in our back yards.

If you’ve followed my website, you’ve met some of the crew before, via interviews I shared here and on RaiseTheirVoice.com [Check out my Qs with Morgan Perry, Autumn Mason and Timothy Dyk 1 | 2 | 3]

Scott introducing the film at University of North Carolina -- Photo courtesy blog.sexandmoneyfilm.com

I caught up with Scott Martin, one of the 5 journalists who interviewed countless experts and individuals about the issue across the USA for the film.  I connected with Scott via email while he was on the road near the end of the 50-state tour.

Andrew Kooman: How many cities have you visited and how many times have you screened the film? How many more times will you screen the film on tour?

Scott Martin: Well as of  November 16, we have screened the film in 46 states, a total of 77 times. I’m not certain on the city total. I believe we have 11 more screenings left to do on the tour.

AK: What does a regular day on tour look like?

SM: Each day is quite different. Of course there’s always the menial tasks which need to get done. Washing, cleaning, finding food, loading and unloading merch to take to events, and packing up your stuff getting ready to move on to the next location; but there is also meeting with many abolitionists, seeing students across the nation becoming aware of this injustice and answering their questions, getting to know the gracious hosts who let us sleep in their homes.

AK: I know you’re traveling with an entourage. Who have you brought on tour with you and what are they all up to?

Filmmakers Autumn Mason, Timothy Dyk, Sarah-Jo Sampson, Scott Martin and Morgan Perry(from Left to Right --Photo courtesy blog.sexandmoneyfilm.com

SM: We certainly have an entourage. Of course there are the 5 journalists from the film. Tim, Sarah-jo, Autumn, Morgan and myself. We each take turns introducing at the events and moderating the panel discussion which follows at the university events. Tim is also quite busy with keeping up the tour blog for everyone to follow what we see happening on the road. Morgan and Autumn are also the executive and line producers for the film, so they are providing leadership from within in that regard.

Also with us are Andy Hewson and Samuel Taipale, our media team. Samuel takes amazing photographs of the tour and at each event, some of which are posted in the blog; while Andy shoots video to create a film for us which documents the tour. Andy was also one of the videographers in the filming of the documentary.

We also have a worship team traveling with us to lead worship at our faith based events. That team includes Isaac Gill, Megan Perry, Jasen Chung, Chris Conley, and Joseph Swanson. Isaac also is one of the associate producers of the film and provides leadership within the group. Last but not least we have Jeff Ball, Lindsay Diederichs and Sarah Mason. Jeff and Lindsay are also on the leadership team, helping coordinate events and finances while Sarah has been the bus driver for the tour enduring the many long hours on the road to get us from one event to the next.

AK:  What was your role in the film? What is your role on tour?

SM: I was able to provide the motorhome that we used on the initial filming trip, as well as raise a few thousand dollars to help kick off the tour. Personally, I was one of the five journalists who travelled the nation documenting the issue of domestic minor sex trafficking. On tour I was helping with the motorhome daily maintenance before it’s tragic failure in Florida, as well as introducing our film and group at events and moderating panels following the university events.

AK:  Why are you screening the film on college campuses and with faith communities?

SM: We wanted to reach both of these demographics specifically. We know that college students are very interested in social justice initiatives. What a better time to grab someone’s attention and heart for an issue than when they are deciding how to use the skills that they are acquiring through their education. We are also screening the film in churches across the United States. We know that this problem does not just exist outside the Church. We believe we must see a move of repentance and revival of the Church in our nation forsaking participation and apathy to this injustice.

AK:  What is your hope as you screen the film – do you have specific outcomes in mind that you want to realize?

SM: We want to see people more specifically educated and aware about this issue through the film. At each screening we are selling merchandise of which 75% of the proceeds are going to a restoration home in Phoenix, AZ. We are also taking offerings for regional restoration homes at our events.

AK:  How have audiences received the film so far? Do you notice a difference in the way people from your different audience demographics respond to the film?

SM: Audiences have been very receptive to the film and it’s message. There is definitely a different response from our faith based screenings than that of our university screenings, but that is also due to the parameters of those events. Overall everyone has been very encouraging after the film and grateful to have it brought to them.

AK:  How are you encouraging audiences, state by state, to further engage the issue after seeing the film?

SM: At each event we are trying to have local organizations represented, so that after the film people are able to connect immediately to local initiatives that they could potentially become involved with.

AK: . What’s a practical next step of action for individuals whose eyes are newly opened to the reality of trafficking in the USA to take to fight trafficking?

SM: A really practical next step is to pass on the word. As you find out about the issue, pass on the knowledge to your community around you. You don’t have to quit your job to become an advocate, you can be raising awareness in your everyday conversations. From there it’s really up to you, there are a plethora of ways you can get involved locally, nationally, or internationally.

The tour bus -- Photo courtesy blog.sexandmoneyfilm.com

AK:  How did your partnership with Exodus Cry develop and why is it important to you to connect the modern abolition movement with a prayer movement?

SM: From the very beginning of production Morgan, who is the executive producer, felt that this film had to be tied with the prayer movement. Exodus Cry is a human trafficking focus within IHOP, the International House of Prayer. We believe that this is not only a physical reality but also a spiritual one, and that we must confront both together. The production of this film was done with an intercessory prayer team traveling right alongside of us. From the very beginning this whole project has been birthed and bathed in prayer.

AK:  What are some major lessons you’ve learned about the nature of human trafficking and exploitation through your work on this project?

SM: Gosh. Well, without writing a book… This is a cultural problem at its roots, there are some major systemic social issues in this injustice. Broken homes, fatherlessness, and the cultural acceptance of the commercialization of sexuality. In many ways we all contribute to the demand for trafficking through our everyday transactions in what we say is permissible through our watching, contributing, and being apathetic to it’s presence. I think what I’ve learned is that we sincerely need to address the demand, and the permissible attitude towards this behavior.

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Purchase the DVD and learn more about the film at the official website

Follow Scott Martin and Sex+Money on twitter

Images courtesy SexandMoneyFilm.com

Read more interviews between Andrew and other artists, activists and bold thinkers here

Here’s a video my brother Matt put together to highlight the Ride for Refuge in Red Deer, the first ever Alberta ride!

Here’s some photos [page 1 | page 2] of the incredible day we spent riding out at Gull Lake.

And here’s some background on why I love people more than I hate bike seats, anyway.

MP Joy Smith Proposes Criminal Code Amendments to Enhance Canada’s Trafficking In Persons Offences

Ottawa, ON: Monday, Conservative Member of Parliament Joy Smith introduced a Private Members’ Bill to make two important amendments that will help combat modern day slavery in Canada and abroad.

The Private Members’ Bill, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (trafficking in persons), will amend the current trafficking in persons offence by providing an evidentiary aid to courts that enhances the definition of exploitation.

“Currently, the definition of exploitation in the human trafficking offence does not provide specific examples of exploitive conduct. As I spoke to prosecutors and law enforcement across Canada, I began to hear of the challenges this presented,” said MP Joy Smith. “My amendment will add an evidentiary aid for the Court to provide clear examples of exploitation such as the use of threats, violence, coercion, and fraudulent means.”

Secondly, the Bill will amend the Criminal Code to enable Canadian human traffickers to be prosecuted in Canada when the offence occurs outside of Canada.

“Human trafficking is an egregious crime that is often carried out across international borders,” said MP Joy Smith. “While Canada has adopted stiff penalties for criminals who traffic victims into, through, and from Canada, it is important that we also prosecute Canadians who traffic or enslave vulnerable populations in other countries.”

MP Smith’s Private Members’ Bill has already received strong support from Canadian human trafficking experts, survivors and non-governmental organizations:

Prof. Benjamin Perrin, University of British Columbia, Faculty of Law, and author of Invisible Chains: Canada’s Underground World of Human Trafficking (Penguin, 2011)

“Human traffickers have evaded prosecution for their heinous crimes, in part, because Canada’s criminal laws are not explicit enough to clearly encompass the range of tactics employed by these serial exploiters. Member of Parliament Joy Smith is again responding to concerns by police and victims’ groups in seeking to amend our human trafficking laws to hold traffickers accountable and protect victims. I call on all Parliamentarians to support this initiative.”

Jamie McIntosh, Executive Director, International Justice Mission Canada
“The crime of human trafficking often transgresses international boundaries, with vulnerable men, women, and children subject to its devastating reach. Human traffickers, including those of Canadian nationality, will persist in their illicit trade if they believe their crimes will go unpunished. Extending authority to prosecute Canadians for human trafficking crimes committed abroad is an important step in the global fight against human trafficking. As a nation, we must commit to prosecuting Canadian nationals who commit these crimes, regardless of geographical location at the time of offence.”

Timea Nagy, Program Director, Walk With Me
“As an internationally trafficked survivor, who has been working with Canadian law enforcement to help human trafficking victims, I am absolutely thrilled to see this legislation presented by Mrs. Smith. It is clear, that Mrs. Smith has consulted professionals, experts from the field, and listened. This Bill will help Canadian law enforcement and prosecutors to be able to do their job and send a message to traffickers around the world, that Canada does not tolerate this crime against human dignity.”

K. Brian McConaghy, Founding Director, Ratanak International
“It is imperative that Canada continues to maintain and enhance a position of strength combating modern day slavery both domestic and international. It is a given that we must protect those weak among us who are at risk of being trafficked. It is no less important that we protect those in other countries from Canadian predators who would traffic in human lives. Such Canadians must be held fully accountable for their actions. This amendment, conforming to international legal norms, positions Canada to do just that and as such is to be commended.”

Shae Invidiata, Founder, [free-them]
“In conjunction with The Act and The Purpose, The United Nations deems a case to be human trafficking if ‘threatened of’ or ‘use of violence, force, coercions, fraudulent misrepresentation or fraudulent means’ is used. Without any hesitation these methods constitute exploitation and, in supporting Mrs. Smith’s Private Members Bill, should be amended into the Criminal Code of Canada.”

Prior to presenting her Private Members’ Bill today, MP Joy Smith will be recognized for her anti-human trafficking efforts. UN Women Canada National Committee will be honouring her at a special luncheon with the UN Women Canada 2011 Recognition of Achievements Award.

MP Joy Smith has placed fourth on the Order of Precedence for Private Members’ Business. The Order of Precedence consists of the items of Private Members’ Business that are scheduled for debate in the House and is chosen randomly at the beginning of each Parliament. In 2009, MP Joy Smith placed third on the Order of Precedence and brought forward Bill C-268. This legislation successfully passed into law creating Canada’s first child trafficking offence with mandatory minimum sentences.

I’m pleased to be speaking at an upcoming conference that focuses on global issues of injustice and features creative work by various artists.  Justice Tapestry takes place in Strathmore, AB this August 27 + 28 and is hosted by my friends at Hope Community Church.

Here’s the details from the official press release:

Justice Tapestry: Shedding Light on the Atrocities of Human Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation - Seeking God’s Heart & Our Response

POIGNANT PLAY- Denise Wong and Aaron Krogman starred in the world premiere of She Has A Name this past spring. The play, written by local author Andrew Kooman, played to sold-out audiences in Red Deer and Calgary. A fundraising campaign is underway to support a North American tour next year.

photo submitted

A fundraising campaign has been launched to see a local playwright’s critically acclaimed play about human trafficking tour North America.

Burnt Thicket Theatre and Raise Their Voice Against Injustice are planning to take Andrew Kooman’s poignant work She Has A Name on the road next year.

The IndieGoGo campaign for the ‘She Has A Name Tour’ aims to raise $10,000 this summer through social networking. The goal is to secure the actors who will perform some 80 shows in 13 cities across Canada and the United States.

The play premiered in Calgary and Red Deer earlier this year to critical acclaim and sold-out runs.

The story follows Canadian investigator (Jason) who poses as a john to build a case against a brothel trafficking girls into Bangkok. He must win the trust of a young girl forced to work as a prostitute who is known as ‘Number 18’ and convince her to risk her life to testify for the sake of justice.

“Preparing to bring the play on tour feels a lot like what it was to premiere the play this year, only on a much larger scale,” explains Kooman.

“There’s a lot more to plan for and we need to raise more funds. The motive is the same, though. We want to bring powerful theatre to audiences and tell a compelling story that raises awareness about human trafficking.”

Burnt Thicket and Raise Their Voice plan to stage the show for audiences across Canada and in cities in the U.S. including Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Grand Rapids and New York.

“The feedback from the world premiere has inspired us to take the show on the road so thousands more people can experience the story.”

Winner of the Scripts At Work/Alberta Playwright Network Award in 2009, She Has A Name provides profound insight into human trafficking in southeast Asia.

“Theatre, like addressing justice, is personal: both involve very human and personal responses,” says Kooman. “What better way than to use social media to ask individuals who experienced the play to be part of making the tour a reality.

“The campaign invites people who saw the play and their networks to give small financial donations and offers perks for giving in return. The play has proven to be an effective tool to discuss the realities of trafficking, an issue that is getting greater and greater media exposure.”

Kooman said She Has a Name is based on an incident in Thailand where a storage container transporting more than 100 people ran out of gas and was simply abandoned. Ultimately about 50 people lost their lives. That tragedy was a kind of a trigger for the plot.

“The whole purpose of writing the play was to imagine one life – one girl – caught up in the sex trade. It’s been amazing to see that this play can be used as a catalyst to get people engaged in the issue of human trafficking. And that’s what we really want to do through this tour – to bring this story to thousands more people across North America.”

Supporters say the play is an eye-opening experience to the reality of millions who live in such horrific conditions.

“This play brings the nameless victims of trafficking into our western world and makes them all too close and real to ever forget,” said Mark Wollenberg, the Western Canadian representative of International Justice Mission Canada, an agency that works overseas to secure justice for victims of trafficking.

Beyond the IndieGoGo fundraising campaign Burnt Thicket and Raise Their Voice will unveil a multi-faceted approach that includes corporate sponsorship, private donations, gifts in kind and special events to raise the projected $400,000 it will take to bring the production to 13 North America cities from May to October of 2012.

Kooman regularly travels internationally to write and partners with non-profit organizations to teach on writing, creativity and identity. He has a gift for showing the harsh realities many in the world face while pointing readers to practical ways they can help make a difference.

Earlier this year, a book was released featuring stories by Kooman chronicling the plight of migrants and refugees in Malaysia. He wrote 26 pieces for Disappointed by Hope: 30 Days of Prayer. Although the stories are fictionalized for confidentiality reasons, they are based on actual accounts, case studies and interviews of refugees.

Click on the following link to learn more about the IndieGoGo Fundraising Campaign for the ‘She Has A Name 2012 Tour’.

“There is nothing more dangerous to the perpetrators of injustice than people who believe in their hearts that it must stop and who act upon that belief,” says Kooman of what helps fuel his passion to move forward with the production. “So I guess I’m motivated to engage people personally and be engaged personally to that end.”

Check out www.andrewkooman.com and www.indiegogo.com/She-Has-a-Name-2012-Tour.

editor@reddeerexpress.com

I just booked my ticket to Vancouver to attend the screening of Sex + Money: A National Search for Human Worth!

I’m really excited to see the outcome of all the hard work by my good friends from photogenX to bring this film to the screen.

If you’re in the Vancouver area (or are not, and like me will travel) check out either of their screenings:

View the trailer here

Date: May 18th
Time: 6:00pm
Place: District 319 Theater
Admission: $30, which includes cocktails and appetizers (with all profits going to the Union Gospel Mission’s women’s and children’s shelter on the Downtown Eastside)

buy tickets to the May 18 show

Date: May 20th
Time: 6:30pm
Place: Gracepoint Community Church
Admission: Free, but a donation will be taken for Deborah’s Gate (women’s shelter)

(Thanks Kevin Miller for posting the dates)

Raise Their Voice has uploaded more video from The Trafficked + Exploited event, including Braden Scharfenberg’s song “More Than A Memory.” Braden’s currently in studio recording this song. I’m looking forward to the future of this song especially as it connects with our upcoming campaign to bring She Has A Name on tour. Will keep you in that loop!

More Than A Memory, by Braden Scharfenberg from Raise Their Voice on Vimeo.

Here’s a great write up by James Wilt of the Calgary Journal for the paper’s February 4 edition:

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Number 18 is a prostitute. Deprived of her name and of her freedom, the 15-year-old girl is enslaved in Thailand’s sex trade. But, a Canadian lawyer has arrived at the brothel where she is forced to sell herself to expose the injustice of human trafficking.

Although fictional, this plot is an attempt by a local author to depict the reality of modern-day slavery through theatre. The play, titled “She Has A Name,” has its world premier in Calgary on Feb. 23.

Jason, played by Aaron Krogman, pleads with Number 18, played by Denise Wong, to assist him in his pursuit of justice. Photo courtesy of Kelsey Krogman and Burnt Thicket Theatre.

The Red Deer-based playwright, Andrew Kooman, said his motive for writing the script was to “make the story of slavery human and to engage the overwhelming statistics that are hard to access emotionally.” To do this, he drew upon true accounts of gender-based injustice in order to accurately illustrate the issue.
The First Steps

While attending a justice-focused conference, Kooman became exposed to the issue of human trafficking; the black-market trade enslaves approximately 27 million people globally according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Following the conference, Kooman began to write “She Has A Name.” He eventually met a Calgary director, Stephen

Waldschmidt, who expressed interest in producing the play through Burnt Thicket Theatre after reading the script.

Waldschmidt told the story of the first time he read the manuscript: “I couldn’t put it down. It was actually only the second script that I’ve ever read that I couldn’t stop reading. It was so intense.

“It’s a bit strange, perhaps, but the soles of my feet were sweating because I was so anxious to find out what would happen. By the end of it, I was hooked,” Waldschmidt said.

A public reading of the play was held in January of 2010 with an incomplete script and amateur actors. The director recalled the surprising reception at the event: “It wasn’t the ideal reading, but the audience’s response to it, in spite of that, just blew me away.

“There was just stunned silence at the end of it. We were trying to get people to give some feedback about the story, and nobody wanted to say anything. Finally, somebody in the back asked, ‘Steve, what can we do?’” Waldschmidt said.
Not Just a Pamphlet

“At a basic level, people need to care in order to do something. In order to care, you need to be convinced that someone’s life is valuable.”
—Andrew Kooman,
author of  “She Has a Name”

Kooman said the question of “What can we do?” exemplified the underlying intent of the story. “The reason this play can be effective is that it can really affirm the value of human life. At a basic level, people need to care in order to do something. In order to care, you need to be convinced that someone’s life is valuable.”

To aid in the participation of the audience in action against human trafficking, the play has partnered with Raise Their Voice, a registered society with the mission of using creative means to advocate for justice. At every show, the society will provide the audience with information and opportunities to engage with abolitionist organizations.
The Criminals Are Human Too

Aaron Krogman will be playing two roles in the production. He will be both the lawyer and pimp of the brothel. Contrary to potential expectation, Waldschmidt will not attempt to disguise this. In fact, he said the dichotomy will aid in the telling of the story by reminding audiences that the perpetrators of human trafficking reside in our city and country.

Waldschmidt is also ensuring that the play does not unravel into the stereotypical ‘good versus evil tale’. Throughout the story, he said he wants to emphasize that in spite of the horrifically unjust actions of the traffickers, each of the criminals has a story.

“Even with the pimp, who is the darkest character in the play, I want to find the reasons for his behaviour and help Aaron to act that rather than just to play the character like Darth Vader,” the director stated. Using another analogy, Waldschmidt said he doesn’t want the audience to dismiss the antagonists as Hitler-like characters, but to acknowledge their humanness.

Through the use of the voices, the audience will learn fragments of Number 18’s past. In other scenes, the background of the character of the Mama-san, played by Rosebud Theatre student Sienna Howell-Holden, will be revealed.

A major challenge of rehearsing for the production will be the depiction of the brutally violent underworld of human trafficking, according to Waldschmidt. The director, who has performed a rape scene on stage as an actor, said that it will be a challenge to figure out how to illustrate this barbarity without being pornographic but while retaining the intensity of the injustice.

Denise Wong, who is playing the 15-year-old prostitute, said: “At the moment, I’ve kept a bit of an arms length from the material and approached it very intellectually. It will be very interesting, and I’m excited to delve into it once rehearsals start. I need to look at it from the character’s perspective as one who is fighting to live,” said Wong, who was trained in theatre at the Mount Royal University Conservatory.
The Power of Theatre

Despite the potential difficulties, the director of “She Has A Name” said he believes theatre is an exceptionally strong tool to convey social issues. “Information doesn’t actually motivate us. It’s actually our emotions that motivate us,” said

Waldschmidt, who studied the value of theatre in graduate school.

Krogman described the experience of theatre as a combination of storytelling, spoken word, and sound dropping into people’s ears and then into their hearts. “More than anything, the art form can really unlock the human capacity to feel empathy,” the actor of the character of Jason said.

Upon leaving the theatre, Kooman urges Calgarians to evaluate their own passions and interests and how they may be used to contribute to the end of slavery. “At the heart of it, Canadians need to know, they need to care and they need to act,” the author concluded.

“She Has A Name” will be performed at the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts from Feb. 23 to March 5.

For more information, visit burntthicket.com.