Call for Survivor Artists and Performers for Survivor Knights Philadelphia 2019

Survivor Knights

We are seeking visual artists, speakers, storytellers, musicians, and other performing artists for a free event in Philadelphia co-sponsored by the North Carolina based arts community Survivor Knights and Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor.

Survivors of any kind of trauma, abuse, medical condition, or any other life challenge, are invited to display their visual art and/or to perform at Survivor Knights Philadelphia, Sunday afternoon, March 24th, 2019 at the Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. For driving and public transit directions to the Rotunda visit sexabusesurvivor.com/rotunda.

To participate, send photos of your visual art or audio/video of your story, poetry, music, performance piece, etc to [email protected]. We will be accepting submissions until February 28th, 2019. Audio and video does not need to be professional quality. We just want to see/hear your work.

The Survivor Knights community is the brainchild of survivor and advocate Brian Cardoza, who is also the founder of the Broken Knee Club, a support and advocacy organization working to raise awareness about childhood sexual abuse.

We look forward to showcasing your visual and performance art. Only together can we survive. Your darkest moments may be the light to another.

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Call for Survivor Artists and Performers for Survivor Knights Philadelphia

Survivor Knights

We are seeking visual artists, speakers, storytellers, musicians, and other performing artists for a free event in Philadelphia co-sponsored by the North Carolina based arts community Survivor Knights and Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor.

Survivors of any kind of trauma, abuse, medical condition, or any other life challenge, are invited to display their visual art and/or to perform at Survivor Knights Philadelphia, Sunday afternoon, March 25th, 2018 at the Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. For driving and public transit directions to the Rotunda visit sexabusesurvivor.com/rotunda.

To participate, send photos of your visual art or audio/video of your story, poetry, music, performance piece, etc to [email protected]. We will be accepting submissions until February 28th, 2018. Audio and video does not need to be professional quality. We just want to see/hear your work.

The Survivor Knights community is the brainchild of survivor and advocate Brian Cardoza, who is also the founder of the Broken Knee Club, a support and advocacy organization working to raise awareness about childhood sexual abuse.

We look forward to showcasing your visual and performance art. Only together can we survive. Your darkest moments may be the light to another.

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You Can Help Abuse Survivors with a Tax-Deductible Donation

Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

To make a Secure Tax-Deductible Donation for Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor click here.

Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor utilizes the arts to raise awareness about childhood sexual abuse. Ongoing projects include the interactive theatrical show Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor, art shows, spoken word showcases, and film screenings.

The interactive show Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor has been widely praised by survivors and professionals in the field for its value as a healing and educational tool.

Survivor and New England Director of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) Dave O’Regan said, “I came away from the performance uplifted, braver, and will always remember Michael’s courage and draw strength from it when needed in my own life.”

Psychologist Margaret D. Sayers called the show “an excellent illustration of the healing power of art and community”.

Clinical Psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Dale Blair said “As a psychologist who treats survivors of childhood sexual abuse, I would highly recommend this show to anyone who struggles with the emotional aftermath of these traumas.”

Clinician Megan L. Doyle of SOAR (Survivors of Abuse in Recovery) called it “a powerful and moving testimonial to the impact of childhood sexual abuse throughout a lifetime”.

Clinician Maureen O’Regan of Orleans Psychotherapy Associates said, “I walked away with an understanding of the survivor experience that no book, training, or even my years of work as a therapist could have ever given me”.

Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor has been presented for audiences of survivors, medical and mental health professionals, social workers, law enforcement officials, and others associated with the response to this kind of abuse.

Recent notable performances include the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance Conference “A Team Approach to Child Abuse Intervention”.

A packed crowd at the Children’s Alliance conference gave the presentation an average score of 4.5 out of 5 and comments included: “It will help me to do my job more effectively”, and “It gives insight into the mentality of a victim which should inform all our work”.

Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor runs approximately 60 minutes, including feedback breaks. Many organizations that host it choose to follow the program with a panel discussion conducted by professionals in the field.

Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor in the Metro

Michael Broussard in Ask a Sex Abuse Survivor

We would like to thank Madeline Presland and the Metro for this wonderful write up. The article also features a press photo (above) taken by the very talented Sarah R. Bloom. Read the full text below and see the article on the Metro site at this link:

http://www.metro.us/news/local-news/philadelphia/sharing-childhood-abuse-onstage-to-help-others-understand

Sharing a childhood of abuse onstage to help others understand

In interactive show, 52-year-old man speaks with audience about his struggles surviving sexual abuse as a child.

By Madeline Presland
Published : June 08, 2017 | Updated : June 09, 2017

Walking onstage to perform a one-man show isn’t easy. Acting out your own trauma is almost unheard of.

Michael Broussard, 52, takes the stage in a plaid shirt. He begins his show, “Ask a Sex Abuse Survivor,” by talking about a happy childhood he doesn’t remember. The memory of a child who loved dancing is lost to several years of rape and abuse that began when he was 7 years old. His stepfather was his abuser. Euphemisms are off the stage, and the pain isn’t sugar-coated. Broussard began writing his ever-evolving show in 2014. To this day, he continues to write his brutally honest narrative from his own memories.

“Every time I come up with something to try to portray it, and I start crying, I put it in the show,” said Broussard. “If I get mad, it goes in the show. It’s ripping the stitches open.”

Broussard, based in Landsdowne, Pennsylvania, has performed his interactive show up and down the East Coast for psychologists and law enforcement, and a crowdfunded performance was just held at the Adrienne Theater in Center City.

A key part of Broussard’s show is giving the audience time to ask questions and react at several points throughout the show. Instead of waiting to answer questions at the end, Broussard allows thoughtful pauses for discussion. Broussard breaks up the performance with opportunities for the audience to ask questions and give feedback. His focus on interaction makes the experience as much about others as it is about him. For Broussard, that’s the entire point of performing.

“This is very vulnerable,” said audience member and fellow performer Pete Haas. “Taking all of that emotion without a break would potentially be devastating.”

“The thing about audience feedback is that it’s terrifying,” said Broussard. “What I want people to do is talk about this and learn from it. You need to have feedback in order to do that.”

In addition to performing in front of a public audience, Broussard has also done his show in front of therapists and other professionals who want to learn through a new medium.

“I’m a walking, talking case study,” said Broussard. “People who are traumatized are re-traumatized every time they need to tell their story. I can answer questions about what happened to me when I was 7 from my perspective as a 52-year-old.”

“What Michael is doing we all do to some extent – channeling his anger and rage, so to speak, into a productive pro-social way,” said Dr. Steven Berkowitz of Penn’s Child and Adolescent Trauma Program. “He’s doing this by educating and helping people understand his experience and the experience of other people who were sexually abused as kids.”

In addition to diagnoses such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, Berkowitz says that substance abuse is a common struggle for adults who were sexually abused as children. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network reports that 70 percent of people who are in detox programs for substance abuse have a history with childhood abuse.

“This performance allows him to take those experiences into the world and not hang onto them,” said Berkowitz.

Broussard’s message is one of hope. The darker moments of his performance are offset by his sense of humor and a passionate love for the show “Doctor Who.” But after the applause ends, Broussard’s performances can take a toll on him. Reliving the abuse can trigger depressive episodes and panic attacks.

But he knows his shows must go on.

“I have seen people talk about their own abuse for the first time in their lives,” he said. “That makes me feel like there’s a reason for what I do.”

Learn more about the show at sexabusesurvivor.com.

Our Free Performance of “Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor” in Philly in May is now Fully Funded!

Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor - Teddy

On February 22nd, 2017 we launched a crowdfunding campaign to support a free public performance of “Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor” in Philadelphia this May. Just 12 days later it was fully funded.

We would like to express our deepest appreciation to all of our generous donors: Kathleen Mosher, Denise Gollmer Weinstein , Elizabeth Evans, Jean Brooks, Kristie Kozenewski, Jason B. Schmidt, Kimberlie Cruse, Georgina Bard, Daniel J. Reynolds, Alexis Calhoun, Julia Calhoun, Kristen Schier, Tamara Anderson, Julie Chapin, John Yorio, Tina Thompson, Susan Seeton, Marlane Stempko, Frances M. Doyle, Sarah Bloom, Jenny Hill, Janice McDuffy, Ryan Lawrence, Jeremy Rodden, Rivka Edery LCSW, Pam Sterner Boyer, Alicia Williams, Dr. Garrett Marie Deckel, and of course our many kind anonymous donors.

The show is on! We hope to see many of you at the Adrienne Theater on Saturday afternoon May 27th, 2017 for a completely free performance of “Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor”. Full details are below.

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Survivor Knights Philadelphia was a Powerful Community Event

Survivor Knights Philadelphia

Artwork by Tiffani Dean – Photo by Jody Austin

The mutual support and love demonstrated by survivors of all kinds at the free event Survivor Knights Philadelphia on Saturday, January 21st was truly beautiful. Artists, speakers and poets gathered at the Rotunda on Walnut Street in University City to share their experiences on canvas and onstage.

As people walked around the space taking in the powerful imagery from artists Charlene Lutz (Muse Gallery), Brian Cardoza (The Broken Knee Club and Survivor Knights), Kathleen Mosher (MsMoArt), Mariellen Cressman, Jody Austin aka TruStory (CEO/President The Collective Mic, LLC), and Tiffani Dean aka La Diva Noire (COO/vice-President The Collective Mic, LLC), deep conversations could be heard in every corner about what it means to survive and how survivors can care for one another.

Later in the afternoon the speakers took the stage and filled the room with a hopeful cry for understanding. Inspiring words from Zahra Diallo, Michael Broussard (author and performer of the one man interactive play Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor), Bonnell Williams, Kellie Springer (author of Relentless: A Journey of Forgiveness), Brian Cardoza (author of The Unexpected Victim), Edna J. White (author of Stuff!: Giving the Secret a Voice), Jody Austin, and Tiffani Dean elicited frequent and enthusiastic applause.

As the event wound down people could be heard making plans for the next one, and the next one after that.

Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor would like to thank Survivor Knights founder Brian Cardoza for giving us the opportunity to host this amazing event.

Thanks also go out to the following, for their invaluable assistance: Rotunda Director Gina Renzi, Rotunda Intern Andrew Simpson, audio tech Styx Latte, and volunteer Jennifer Cutler.

If you are interested in hosting a Survivor Knights event in your area, please contact Brian Cardoza at [email protected] or visit www.brokenkneeclub.org or www.facebook.com/SurvivorKnights.

The next Survivor Knights event will be Chasing Immortality on Saturday, January 28th at the New Bern Civic Theatre in New Bern, North Carolina.

Join us for a FREE Survivor Art Show and Spoken Word Event 1/21/17 in Philly

Survivor Knights

On Saturday, January 21st, 2017 at the Rotunda in Philadelphia survivors of all kinds will share their visual art and stories at a free event designed to bring the community together in mutual support. Complete details below.

The event is co-sponsored by the North Carolina based arts community Survivor Knights and Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor.

The Survivor Knights community is the brainchild of survivor and advocate Brian Cardoza, who is also the founder of the Broken Knee Club, a support and advocacy organization working to raise awareness about childhood sexual abuse.

Come out and meet your fellow survivors.

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Call for Survivor Artists and Speakers for Survivor Knights Philadelphia

Survivor Knights

We are seeking visual artists and speakers for a free event in Philadelphia co-sponsored by the North Carolina based arts community Survivor Knights and Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor.

Survivors of any kind of trauma, abuse, medical condition, or any other life challenge, are invited to display their art and/or to speak at Survivor Knights Philadelphia, Saturday, January 21st, 2017 at the Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street in Philadelphia.

To participate, send photos of your art or a recording (audio or video) of your spoken word piece to [email protected]. We will be accepting submissions until December 31st, 2016.

The Survivor Knights community is the brainchild of survivor and advocate Brian Cardoza, who is also the founder of the Broken Knee Club, a support and advocacy organization working to raise awareness about childhood sexual abuse.

We look forward to displaying your art and hearing you speak. Only together can we survive. Your darkest moments may be the light to another.

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