By Conor Brummell
The Active Consent Programme is a collaboration between NUI Galway’s School of Psychology and Drama and Theatre Studies, and they will be touring Ireland this September and October with a play entitled The Kinds of Sex You Might Have At College. This play is an innovative new production performed by NUI Galway Alumni actors and aims to reach large audiences of students around Ireland to promote positive and active consent.
The Kinds of Sex You Might Have At College is to turn the Consent Programme’s core messages into a live theatrical event, that will bring audiences through sketches that dramatize sexual scenarios you might encounter throughout your life at college. It is a play about what you want, how you want it, if you want it and what happens when you don’t. It will tackle experiences from across all genders, sexualities and relationships.
The play will combine humour, satire and drama to try and share diverse experiences to audiences. It will use participatory methods to engage audiences, as it aims to equip those who watch the play with a deeper understanding of consent that they can apply to future intimate experiences, when and if they have them. Those who choose to view the play should be advised that the performance contains language of a sexual nature and themes of sexual violence.
The play is directed by Dr Charlotte McIvor, Lecturer in Drama and Theatre Studies, who says “This ground-breaking theatre was created with young people for young people. We hope it empowers audiences to critically examine their own attitudes about sexuality and the way they communicate with partners concerning consent.
“We approach the subject unflinchingly in our treatment of assault, harassment and rape, but also with humour and optimism. We hope our audiences leave better informed and prepared to act in terms of calling out unacceptable behaviours and attitudes and pursuing more mutually pleasurable and consensual sexual practices if they want to.”
The four-person cast featuring Alice Keane, Michael Foley, Fiona Buckley and Gavin Friel, graduates of NUI Galway’s BA and MA programmes in Drama and Theatre Studies, will put on three free performances in NUI Galway on Thursday the 12 September (5PM) and Friday 13 September (1PM and 5PM). Tickets are available on Eventbrite.
