Theatre program teaches assault prevention
Students travel to Florida performing play about date rape
By Anthony Kirchner
Staff Reporter

Five TCU students returned from Florida Monday night after spending this past weekend educating other college students about the effects of sexual assault, said TCU Crime Prevention Officer Pam Christian.

Assault Prevention Theatre, which consists of five TCU students, performed a play about date rape for students at the University of West Florida to emphasize the severity of date rape at colleges, said Jaime Castaneda, a junior theater major and Assault Prevention Theatre student director.

“People see rapes in film and on TV, but it’s not the same when it’s live and on stage,” Castaneda said. “Our performances are so true to life, they really make you think about how horrible rape really is.”

Assault Prevention Theatre is a joint educational program between the TCU Police and the TCU theatre department designed to educate students about date rape and sexual assault, Christian said.

Greg Thatcher, an assistant professor in the Health Department at UWF, invited Assault Prevention Theatre to his university after working with the group in 2001 as a visiting professor to TCU. Thatcher said he wrote a grant to evaluate the effectiveness of a one-time theater presentation on date rape, which was funded this past semester.

Thatcher said approximately 100 UWF students attended three separate Assault Prevention Theatre performances.

“The script is excellent and the cast was very capable of providing the information I desired,” Thatcher said. “Several UWF students approached me after the event to express their amazement of the power and effectiveness of the program.”

According to the Web site for the Assault Prevention Theatre, the program began spring of 1998 to portray issues surrounding sexual assault through dramatic presentations.

Students present skits that show real-life situations where a sexual assault might occur and audience members are encouraged to ask questions or offer comments concerning the events they witness on stage.

Christian went with the students to UWF and said she was excited that the students and their play was seen at another school.

“This play is a great education tool and for me, educating others is exciting,” Christian said.

Thatcher said he will be starting a similar group at UWF.

Anthony Kirchner
a.l.kirchner@student.tcu.edu

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