To hear the unheard. To see the unseen. To come out of silence.

To confront violence. Disagree with secrets.

“Rape. Voices” is a theatrical protest against the universal fact of sexual violence towards women. It’s an attempt to understand the complexity of this problem and to challenge its social perception. It’s giving a voice to those, who are usually not asked: women who have experienced sexual violence. Women who in their multiplied voices tell us about the experience which doesn’t have a nationality, age or sexual orientation: rape. The voices of women interweave here with each other, drawing on individual experiences and different stories. Stories, which happened for real.

The starting point of this work was a sociological research project exploring the subject of sexual violence in Poland and the situation of women who had experienced rape, carried out by STER, the Association for Equality and Emancipation from Warsaw in collaboration with VICTORIA, the Association for Women from Rzeszow and WAGA, the Association from Gdansk. Results showed clearly that a conversation about sexual violence, especially about rape, is still very difficult, if possible at all. Rape is still one of the most traumatic and silenced experiences. Until the end of one’s life it remains a painful open wound. Many women don’t talk about it with their families and friends and don’t take legal actions against their oppressors. For most of women participating in this research the meeting with the interviewer was the first time they talked about their experience of rape. The performance was created in a dialogue with this research and refers directly to the conversations with its participants.