10 lenses- Let's Talk Sex Work: A Play

1. Content: What is the issue, need, idea or opportunity addressed by this project?

"Let's Talk Sex Work" addresses the silencing of women in sex work, by telling true stories of women in prostitution and bringing them to life. The play specifically focuses on the issue of choice, addressing the recent debate about this topic, and tackling it through personal stories that rarely get told. 

2. Form: What medium and techniques were used to embody the content?

The play uses immersive techniques by staging the play among the audience. It uses true stories, testimonies and improv in order to perform the content. 

3. Context: What are the circumstances and setting that frame our understanding of this project?

The circumstances that frame this project are two fold. It is the way prostitution is represented in the media, public discourse or policy making, which frames sex workers as woman who are either crazy drug addicts lying in some street corner, or upper middle class women who thrive in the industry, love what they do and who chose specifically prostitution as their career. On the other hand there is the majority of sex workers that don't fall under either of these descriptions. The circumstances of the piece are the merging between what is portrayed to the public and what the reality is. 

4. Stakeholders: Who can affect or be affected by this project?

The project can affect any person who does not know enough about sex work, and through this project learn about this industry and their responsibility in it. Sex workers themselves may be affected by it, if viewers take action after seeing the performance, and just by raising the topic and bringing it into a more public discourse. the project could affect men who go to see prostitutes and maybe break some of the stereotypes they know of, which allow them to feel comfortable and ethical to go see a sex worker. 

5. Audience or communities engaged: For whom and/or with whom was this project created?

This project was created with a group of women actors. It is based on true stories of sex workers. This project is created for any college campus, rehab center, or community that would be willing to host the project, and help raise the issue of sex work within that community, and encourage a conversation. 

6. Engagement strategies: How were the stakeholders, audiences, and community members engaged in this project? How were the goals of the project advanced?

The community or stakeholders that come to see the performance as an audience are engaged in the piece through the staging, which involves an open discussion about the topic at the end, and more information is provided such as pamphlets, reading material for them to take home and continue the engagement. The project has a social media page as well, in order to allow anyone to follow the process of the creation of the piece, be exposed to the material that the actors are reading, and invite the project to their community. These goals are being advanced through continually refining the staging, and trying to find more ways to engage the public in the process, as well as reaching out to organizations working with sex workers, in order to collaborate with them in order to advance the piece and the topic at hand. 

7. Resources: What tangible or intangible resources were used to pursue the project's goals?

The project plans to bring guest speakers to talk about some of the subjects at hand, however this has been a tangible and intangible resource at the same time. The producer is still trying to reach certain individuals and bring them as guest speakers, but unfortunately we have also had some failure with either budget issues or no cooperation. 

8. Goal: What are the project's objectives?

The objective is to raise awareness about women in prostitution, and bring these stories to life in a way that will engage the audience as active participants, so that they will not be able to detach from the topic while watching the piece, and force them to be an active audience. 

9. Outcomes: What were the results and the impact of this project? Did they match the goals?

The play is still in production so the success cannot be confirmed yet.

10. Values: What were this project's guiding values and/or core beliefs?

The core belief of the creators of the project is that most sex workers do not choose actively to be in prostitution, and that understanding the connection between prostitution and childhood sexual abuse is critical. The biggest guiding value of this project was discussing these issues, but not speaking for these women, but using their words to express their reality, rather than using the actors'/writer's words.