BODY & SOLD

BODY & SOLD

Living Stories:

Sex Trafficking of American Youth.

Every girl and boy dreams sometimes of running away from home, but stalking these runaways are pimps looking for young bodies to sell; and every parent’s nightmare is enduring the heartbreaking tragedy of looking for a missing child. BODY & SOLD - America, winner of a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist’s Award, is a documentary play that interweaves the stark reality of eight American teen survivors who ran away from home and were lured, seduced, or kidnapped and trafficked as prostitutes around the United States. Based on interviews done by the playwright, Deborah Lake Fortson, in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Boston, Hartford, Los Angeles, and New York, the play uses the subjects’ own words to show why they had to leave home, how they were approached and trafficked, and how they used their ingenuity to escape and survive everyday violence and life on the street.
Following participation in the Global Women Leaders Network training in Santa Clara, California, Tempest Productions launched The BODY & SOLD Project, a campaign to produce the play in collaboration with theaters, colleges, and women’s groups to benefit organizations helping women and girls. As of 2012, BODY & SOLD has been produced in over thirty American cities, in Japan, and in London.

In partnership, the Trenton Soroptimists and the Woodhaven High School Theater Group are presenting BODY & SOLD to the general public. This production is the first one hosted by a school system and a high school as part of their after-school curriculum, led by teacher and Woodhaven Theater Company’s Michael Clemons in conjunction with the playwright. Woodhaven High School students dedicated their free time after school to use their talents by working on this play to bring awareness to this problem and to get the message out to their peers and parents. Student Shelby Seeley is the director and president of the Woodhaven Theater Company. When questioned after the performances, a few students claimed they would like to continue future acting; others include becoming an architect to provide housing for trafficking victims, and pursuing psychology and sociology to help the survivors. The Woodhaven Theater Company and the SI of  Trenton Area Soroptimists have both received a nomination for the Liberator Award for recognizing efforts in the fight against human trafficking in Michigan.

Coincidentally, an FBI sting operation in Detroit rescued nineteen teenage girls and arrested twelve exploiters the night before the first local performance of BODY & SOLD.

Approximately 400 people attended the four showings and are now aware of this prevalent tragedy. The premiere performance was on October 14th at the Woodhaven High School Auditorium. The playwright, Deborah Lake Fortson, flew in from Boston for the first two performances. She met with the drama teacher and cast before opening night.
Fox2 News covered this event, and the story was broadcasted that evening and the next day. Devaun Chandler, a human-trafficking survivor and S.O.A.P. (Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution) activist was also a guest speaker. Soroptimists from Wyandotte/Southgate/Taylor, Flat Rock, and Monroe attended to support the cause.
The next evening, the performance was held at the Wayne State University Community Arts Auditorium with playwright Deborah Lake Fortson and international guest speaker Theresa Flores, human-trafficking survivor, author of The Slave across the Street, and founder of S.O.A.P. Twelve Wyandotte High School students and two teachers witnessed the performance.

On October 16th, Penelope’s Venue in Southgate hosted the event. Theresa Flores was again the guest speaker. Five different downriver churches represented their community support.

The final performance was on October 17th at the Trenton Village Theatre. Devaun Chandler again told her heart-wrenching history of being trafficked. Corporal Rolando Hinojosa, a Melvindale police veteran, followed with statistics and accounts of the work that law enforcement is currently doing. In attendance were two Michigan State policewomen, Lt. Mary Kapp and Trooper Tressa Duffin, Chair of the Monroe Human-Trafficking Coalition. Members of S.O.A.P. attended all four sessions to share materials with the public.
At the request of Trooper Duffin, BODY & SOLD will be shown at the River Raisin Performing Arts Center on November 18 at 7:00 P.M., hosted by the Monroe Human-Trafficking Coalition and Soroptimist International of Trenton Area. There will be a second performance at Woodhaven High School as well, date to be determined.

This play is a must-see for every parent, grandparent, and teen in the United States. Please note that the content is recommended for mature audiences only.

There is a suggested donation of $5.00. Donations also accepted at http://formsmarts.com/form/1me7. For more information, follow us on Facebook @Soroptimist Trenton, MI or contact Karen Collins at (313) 969-9206.

A screening of Nefarious: Merchant of Souls, is a documentary that gives an in-depth look at human trafficking. The venue is the Woodhaven Emagine Theater on November 5 at 7:00 P.M.

Scholarship/needs awards are available for young women. Contact Facebook@Soroptimist Trenton, MI or trentonareasoroptimists@gmail.com for applications.