ReACT! Peer theatre education program receives funding from the Office on Violence Against Women

Somewhere in America, a woman is raped every two minutes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Dating violence, sexual assault and domestic violence are complicated subjects to introduce, but GVSU’s acting team “ReACT” hopes to make the topic easier to discuss.

ReACT is a peer theatre education program dedicated to inform students on the various ways sexual assault happens in our daily lives. The ReACT performances are scenes played out to display real-life scenarios from dating violence, Facebook stalking, to domestic abuse.

“Education, motivation and impetus to share this knowledge with other people are what I think I’ve gained from this experience,” said Brian Murray, a ReACT actor. “The things we talk about in ReACT are things everyone should know about, and I would highly suggest you come to a performance if you can.”

ReACT’s funding comes from the Office on Violence Against Women, part of the U.S. Department of Justice. This grant was recently reissued for another year. Auditions to join ReAct for the 2012-2013 will take place in the fall.

“If you’re passionate about making changes in these areas then ReAct is a great place to do that,” Murray said.

ReAct’s next performance is Monday April 9, 2012 at Cook-DeWitt Center at 10:00 a.m.