Sault playwright brings real-life stories of intimate partner violence to Fringe stage

A first-time Sault playwright is drawing on the collective experiences of many area women — including herself — to tell the story of intimate partner violence in a new Fringe North Festival play premiering later this month.

A longtime fixture in the Sault Ste. Marie theatre scene, Sarah Skagen has taken on the responsibility of writing and directing a new play titled She, which addresses the issue of intimate partner violence (IPV).

"I spoke with 24 women with ties to Sault Ste. Marie or from our immediate area and they gave me their stories of intimate partner violence," said Skagen of her research for the play.

Some of the stories she heard have been suppressed by the women for decades.

"They were brave enough to come forward and some of them, they had never spoken about their abuse," said Skagen. "They've been holding on to it for 20 years, not telling a single soul."

Skagen took those real-life accounts and scattered them among the eight characters who will be portrayed in She when it hits the stage at Fringe North on Aug. 25 at the Saul Ste. Marie Museum.

Writing for those characters allowed Skagen to maintain the anonymity of the 24 women who contributed their stories.

"I decided that I would create eight different personas of women in eight different age demographics who would be working in our society and who could potentially be victims of intimate partner violence," said Skagen. "Then I took pieces of the stories from the ladies who told me their stories and I sort of scattered them throughout those personas so that nobody could be identified, but their voices could still be heard."

The show's cast includes Randi Houston, Burgandy Hill, Crystal Eusepi, Nicolette Rebello, Brandi Bonenfant, Amanda Kemp, Kara Colynuck and Renee Buczel.

Buczel is cast in the role of a construction worker. Coincidentally, her longtime friend Angie Sweeney, who was killed by her former partner last October in a case of intimate partner violence, had worked in construction. Buczel will be wearing her friend's construction boots when she takes the stage to embody the role.

"We borrowed each other's shoes for 20-plus years of friendship," Buczel said of Sweeney. "She was building houses and taking houses apart, so it's like every time I put on these boots, it's just connecting that little piece to her."

Buczel said she wanted to be part in the play to raise awareness for IPV, but she didn't expect to be cast in a role so closely associate with her friend.

"The only part that would require me to have these boots is the part that I'm playing. So yeah, it's just the definition of walking In her shoes," she said.

The play will deal with some difficult subjects, including coercive control and violence against women. 

"I think that's one of the things that I love so much about the play is that we cover all aspects of abuse," said Buczel. "Because abuse is abuse — whether it be mental or physical — and I think it's important to get that message across."

Skagen said she took the responsibility of bringing the stories of the two-dozen women to life very seriously.

"It was that much more important to make sure that we properly represented the issue and made sure that they have the respect that they deserve," she said. "Three out of four women are victims of intimate partner violence and I am definitely one of the three."

With such difficult subject matter to deal with, Buczel said the all-woman cast and crew for the play has created a supportive environment.

"I think it's great that we can all kind of just feed off each other and help each other out and offer encouragement or changes and everybody's open to that," said Buczel. "I think everybody who's involved in this project really wants to get the awareness out there and to allow these stories to be shared because they deserve to be heard."

The show is being sponsored by ML Counselling Services and Case's Music, with promotional photography provided by Chandra Barnett.

Tickets for She are available now from the Fringe North Festival web site.