The 11-member cast performed their second "Let's Talk About" show Sept. 18, which featured 11 monologues depicting a different character's story of overcoming judgment from their peers.
The theme for the night was identity, and all of the monologues focused on that aspect of life.
“As young people, we are constantly shifting in what we think about ourselves and what other people think about us,” said director Maureen O’Leary, a Ball State junior.
Before the show began, O’Leary encouraged the audience to be interactive and express how they felt during the show to create an accepting atmosphere. Knowing that every story was that of one of their peers, the audience responded with rounds of applause and cheers after each story.
“I hope people walk away from this not asking questions about themselves, but more of, 'What is it like to be in that person’s skin?'” said O’Leary. “If we can shove one person in a positive direction, we’ve done our job here today."
After the group came up with the identity theme for the show, they set up a Google forum where they asked students to anonymously share their experiences with identity. Out of the roughly 42 submitted, 11 were chosen to be a part of the show.
“I think this is a great way to express everyone’s differences and how wonderful that is,” said sophomore theatre studies major Chris Bell.
Bell played a character who struggled with the religion he was raised to follow and the decision to leave that faith regardless of his family's views.
“It was kind of conflicting in a sense that it goes against what I believe,” Bell said.
While the stories were meant to impact the audience, they also left marks on the actors portraying them.
Ashten Spilker, a sophomore secondary education major, played a victim of sexual assault. She spoke about how her character overcame the circumstances to no longer allow the incident to define her.
“It's deep things like this that can give an audience perspective and you as an actor perspective," Spilker said. "It makes me feel in ways that nothing else is able to make me feel."
One in five women and one in 33 men have been the victim of attempted or completed rape in their lifetime, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.
“[Sexual assault] is a problem that affects a lot of people, and no one really understands that," Spilker said.
Spilker was shocked after talking to girls she knew and realizing just how common sexual assault is, she said.
When she realized how many concepts of identity Ball State students struggled with, it motivated her and other performers to make a difference with their performance.
“There’s such a [stigma] for people to be different," Spilker said. "But when someone actually acts upon it, they’re judged."
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