A POWERFUL new initiative, ‘Women Speak’, is launching a series of Forum Theatre events across the Sunshine Coast this November and December, aimed at influencing system change regarding domestic and family violence.
This initiative is a partnership forged between women with lived experience of domestic and family violence, the Caloundra Zonta Club, and the Caloundra Community Centre.
The social issue being explored focuses on the limitations and impacts of current systems designed to support women in their recovery journey.
Organisers note that these systems often become barriers, preventing women from safely accessing the help they need, and can inflict harm on women and their families. By bringing the community together and listening to these lived experiences, the goal is to collectively explore possibilities for creating a better sense of safety and positive outcomes.
The performances utilise Forum Theatre, a process rooted in the Brazilian tradition of “Theatre of the Oppressed”. This unique method facilitates social sense-making, inviting audience members to become active participants by generating ideas for change. These ideas are then acted out to assess how they might influence a better outcome for those directly affected, encouraging critical thinking, questioning, and ‘acting’ rather than just talking. Supported by the Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble and the Sunshine Coast Council, local performances are scheduled for Friday, November 28, 11am at Library+ Caloundra and Wednesday, December 3, 6.30pm, Maleny Community Centre Corporation. Tickets are available at the venue for $20 (waged) and $10 (unwaged).
