The Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region (SASC) is teaming up with MT Space to present virtual performances of Chelsea's Story.
The play, based on actual events, centres on a group of three students who discover the diary of a 15-year-old girl named Chelsea, who is targeted and groomed by a man posing as her boyfriend to traffick her for sex.
The free show runs from Feb. 22 to 25, with the February 23 show offering Arabic translation. Each performance also includes a talkback series beginning on February 22, National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
Anyone interested in attending can sign up at sascwr.org/chelseas-story
Chelsea's Story was written by Sean McGrath from Alter Ego Creative Solutions in the UK for people as young as 12 to understand what trafficking is and how vulnerable people, particularly girls and young women, tend to be targeted and groomed.
In 2019, MT Space artistic director, Pam Patel, was asked by the Registry Theatre in Kitchener to direct a Canadian production of Chelsea's Story. Patel produced the play with the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council and SASC.
It's as timely now as it was then, with cities surrounding Highway 401 and the QEW seeing the highest levels of human sex trafficking in southern Ontario.
In Waterloo region, SASC has felt the impact of the prevalence of human trafficking.
Since 2020, their Anti-Human Trafficking Program has seen a 23 per cent increase in clients. This program provides free, confidential services to those experiencing sexual exploitation and those at risk within Waterloo region.
Organizers hope Chelsea's Story will help to increase awareness of human trafficking in our community and highlight the support that is available to survivors.
In its inaugural year, Chelsea's Story was performed at The Registry Theatre, William G Davis Senior Elementary School, and the local prison for women, the Grand Valley Institute. SASC facilitated a debrief and talkback (q and a session) after each performance.
The production was well-received: parents, patrons, and students who experienced the piece encouraged Chelsea's Story to continue touring schools and theatres to raise awareness of the signs of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
Throughout the pandemic, organizers adapted the show to be delivered virtually.
