Body and Sold

Chain Reaction Theatre Project’s presentation of Body and Sold opened last weekend at St. David’s Episcopal Church. It is playing at different churches across the Twin Cities Metro Area until November 2, in addition to a performance on October 28 at ARTS-Us. I was fortunate enough to see the show this past Sunday at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. The show is not an easy one to see, it tackles the very serious subject matter of juvenile sex trafficking. It is like a documentary played out on stage, the playwright Deborah Lake Fortson based the script off of actual interviews with sex trafficking survivors in United States. The stories told are based all over the country, one right here in the Twin Cities, but they are all hauntingly similar.

The script as well as the performances were all extremely honest. The show is performed in the round, the audience surrounds the action, and sitting in the first row the action was very close, there was no way to look away. A show like this makes you uncomfortable, and in many ways that is its purpose. Sex trafficking is a serious problem in our country, and in our state, it is also a problem that is easy to forget about. The program notes that the show was done before the Super Bowl on purpose, at that time sex trafficking in the Twin Cities is supposed to skyrocket. The more people that know about this problem, and care to work to make things different the more things can change for the better.

Human Sex Trafficking is a difficult topic to tackle but Chain Reaction Theatre Project’s production of Body and Sold does so both respectfully the honesty. The performances are raw but also treat the victims with all the respect that they deserve. It tells the uncomfortable truths that all of us need to hear. You can find out more information about the Chain Reaction Theatre Project and Body and Sold on their website here, all shows have tickets available for Pay What You Can pricing at the door.

*Photo courtesy of Chain Reaction Theatre Project