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'My Name Is Tracy' addresses domestic violence

4/13/2008

by Beth Wilberding
Messenger-Inquirer

Tracy could be a next-door neighbor.

A man. A woman.

A grandparent or a grandchild.

In Juergen K. Tossmann's "My Name Is Tracy," Tracy is a victim of domestic violence.

Merely Players is presenting the show in conjunction with Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, or CASA.

"My Name Is Tracy" is a collection of monologues and vignettes with cast members of all ages and both sexes talking about domestic violence.

"It was actually a yearlong study for me to get in touch with the issues of domestic violence," said Tossmann, producing and artistic director for Bunbury Theatre in Louisville.

He worked with the Center for Women and Families in Louisville for research and interviewed both victims and perpetrators of domestic violence.

The play debuted in Louisville in October, receiving a good response, Tossmann said.

There were talk-back sessions after the public performances, and audience members spoke about their own experiences with domestic violence — some for the first time, he said.

"We found that all of our work was worth it when that kind of thing happens, when somebody actually steps forward," Tossmann said. "I was very happy with what we were able to do with it here."

Tossmann is scheduled to be at the April 18 performance, and there will be a question-and-answer session with him after the show.

Merely Players production of "My Name Is Tracy" will also act as a benefit for CASA, and 50 percent of the proceeds will go to the organization.

Alan Velotta, Merely Players' founding artistic director, said "My Name Is Tracy" has been one of the most challenging pieces he has been part of. The show moves continuously, and as soon as one scene peaks, the next situation begins, he said.

Amanda Townsell, an AmeriCorps volunteer with CASA, saw the play in Louisville with a friend and brought it to Merely Players' attention.

"When I saw the play, the play just really hits you because it's real ... (You) feel like you're in somebody's living room watching it," Townsell said.

CASA works with children who have been abused and neglected, she said. They often come from families with histories of substance abuse or domestic violence, she said.

Domestic abuse is something many people don't want to talk about, Townsell said, and it also brings statistics about abuse that a person might read in the news to life.

"I feel (the play is) the kind of thing that motivates people, and it makes it real for you ... You can read that, but when you see somebody acting it out like that, and it's so real, it makes you aware of it. It really grabs you," she said.

Carrie Wedding, executive director of CASA, said she thought it was important for people to recognize the correlation between child abuse and domestic abuse.

"I think that it will open some eyes to the true dynamics of domestic violence and how that truly does affect children," she said. "The act of them witnessing domestic violence affects them for the rest of their lives."

Kara Rosenblatt is making her Merely Players directorial debut with "My Name is Tracy."

"I read the script and I felt like it was something no one else had done before," she said.

Though Rosenblatt said she was initially nervous about taking on the production, the show's topic is an issue she feels passionate about.

Randi Shamsabadi plays several roles in "My Name Is Tracy," but they all are victims of some form of abuse. She said she has been able to relate to some of what Tracy goes through because of past experiences.

"This brings up something nobody wants to talk about," Shamsabadi said.

She said she was glad the play would also help raise money for CASA.

"It's great when we can help out the community," Shamsabadi said.

To Attend

"My Name is Tracy" is at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Healing America at Ninth and Allen streets. The show will also be presented at 8 p.m. on April 25 and 26 at the Evansville Civic Theatre's Underground at the Annex. Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door or online at www.merelyplayers.org. For more information, contact Alan Velotta at 315-2413.