There will be a free performance of the interactive play Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor on November 16th at 8pm EST on Zoom. Register to attend at http://tinyurl.com/askasexabusesurvivor.

In the show, survivor Michael Broussard tells the story of the abuse he experienced as a child and of his path to healing. He does this in a series of vignettes, pausing after each vignette for attendee questions and comments.

“The brilliance of Michael’s approach comes down to this Q&A—without realizing it, we have been empowered to have a conversation that is still so taboo in our society. We leave the performance feeling compelled to pay greater attention to victims and survivors, to feel their pain more deeply, and to act more decisively to protect children from abuse.” -Children’s Advocacy Centers of Pennsylvania

While the show is fairly intense and sometimes dark in nature, it also includes a healthy amount of humor and, ultimately, a very positive, empowering and triumphant message of hope and healing.

“This production is an excellent illustration of the healing power of art and community.” – Psychologist Margaret D. Sayers

“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.” – Survivor and New England Director of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) Dave O’Regan

“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.” – Clinical Psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Dale Blair

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

Get your tickets for a virtual performance of the interactive play Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor on Sunday Nov 6th, 2022. Details below.

Ask A Survivor play reading + Q&A on Zoom
Sun, Nov 6th, 2022 at 3:00 PM EDT
Tickets at http://askasurvivorplay.eventbrite.com

From Meg Lenherr, NCC, Counselor for Women’s Services, Inc. – “As a counselor who works with survivors of sexual trauma every day, I was amazed at the healing power of Michael’s honesty and courage while standing in front of an audience to perform his story in such a raw way. With splashes of colorful humor throughout the performance, Michael authentically and daringly painted the picture of the torment and abuse he experienced in a way that became tangible and relatable to everyone in the room. Before his performance was over I witnessed true healing in some survivors in the audience, who were able to discover, through Michael’s brave retelling of his story and the opportunity to ask questions, that they were not alone. Michael showed us that no one has to be alone as a survivor, and that everyone can heal. Whether you are a survivor or simply a supporter you will not be able to walk away without being deeply affected.”

Questions? Email [email protected]

Get your tickets for a virtual performance of Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor on Saturday, May 22nd, 2021 at 8pm on Zoom.

Tickets are FREE but donations are appreciated.

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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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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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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Join us for a special FREE PERFORMANCE of Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor plus a free screening of the film To Kill A Kelpie on Sunday, June 26th, 2016 at the Ideal Arts Space in Baltimore, Maryland.

This event is made possible by a partnership between Stop the Silence® and NAASCA, under the Stop the Silence® Art as Advocacy Program.

Please note: some material may not be appropriate for all audiences.

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Last night I had the honor of presenting Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor for the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Penn Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, and the Penn Department of Psychiatry. The experience was, in a word, amazing.

This was my first time presenting to a largely academic audience and the feedback was revelatory. I learned so much from the questions and comments of medical professionals and students and their feedback drove a performance that delved even deeper than usual into the issues surrounding childhood sexual abuse.

We talked about the importance of parents letting their children know that they could share anything and that their words would be heard and respected. We talked about the family narrative, about examining the entire picture surrounding an abused child, and taking time to address all of that. We talked about Statutes of Limitations reform, healing as an adult through positive relationships, helping the non survivor community to fully understand the survivor experience … and so much more.

It was without a doubt one of the most productive conversations I have ever witnessed at an Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor performance.

I would like to thank Denise LaMarra, Colleen Quinn, and Janice Radway of Penn’s Standardized Patient Program, along with Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Penn, Benoit Dubé, MD for coordinating all the tiny details that went into making this event happen.

I would also like to thank the Director of Penn’s Center for Youth and Family Trauma Response and Recovery, Steven Berkowitz, MD, Clinical Director of the Penn Department of Psychiatry Center for Couples and Adult Families, Jacqueline Hudak, PhD, and Chair in the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Cindy Christian, MD, for sitting on the after-show panel. Your wisdom and compassion were truly inspiring.

And I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the invaluable support of Rob and Vic from Penn’s A/V department, as well as my own technical director and artistic collaborator, Galen Huggins.

Here’s hoping this is the first of many Ask A Sex Abuse Survivor performances for academic institutions all over the country.