Ripple Effect Artists Reprise of SHE HAS A NAME Opens Off-Broadway 10/26 at The Sargent Theatre
A Ripple Effect Artists Presentation of the play by Andrew Kooman
Ripple Effect Artists will reprise its 2017 Off-Broadway production SHE HAS A NAME, the critically-acclaimed play by Andrew Kooman about sex trafficking at the Sargent Theatre from October 26 thru November 5 for nine performances. In conjunction with October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month, each performance includes an educational talk-back by experts and/or survivors, with a portion of proceeds benefiting Gems (Girls Educating & Mentoring. Each show begins at 8:00pm, plus four matinees: October 28, 29, November 4 & 5. Tickets are $40 general admission and can be purchased through Ripple Effect Artists website: https://ripple-effect-artists-inc.ticketleap.com/she-has-a-name-reprise/ The Sargent Theatre is located at 314 West 54th Street, NYC. Ripple Effect Artists is an actor’s equity 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization that moves audiences from apathy to action through art, creating a Ripple Effect.
SHE HAS A NAME tells the story of a young lawyer, who poses as a john to build a legal case against a brothel ring that is trafficking young girls internationally. His investigation centers on NUMBER 18, a girl forced to work as a prostitute, and discovers that her testimony is key to proving his case. Can he convince her to risk her life to testify for the sake of justice? The play is haunted by voices who usher Number 18 to her fate.
Playwright Andrew Kooman and Ripple Effect Artists re-worked the script to SHE HAS A NAME to create a United States version. For the Reprise, the brothel takes place in Los Angeles instead of abroad. The original SHE HAS A NAME toured across Canada from May to October 2012. In conjunction with the tour, A Better World raised money to help women and children who had been trafficked in Thailand as part of the country’s prostitution industry. This play received strong endorsement from Canadian activists, including MP Joy Smith, Ratanak International’s Brian McConaghy, and IJM Canada’s Jamie McIntosh. The play’s premiere and initial run were critically acclaimed. In the 2012 tour across Canada, SHE HAS A NAME was performed in several fringe theatre festivals, at which critics representing the Montreal Gazette, the Winnipeg Free Press, and CFEQ-FM said it stood out for its quality and moral content.
Ripple Effect Artists, Inc. is an actor’s equity 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that addresses injustice and causes social impact through art – primarily by producing masterful plays – presenting them along with talkback discussions in partnership with educators and advocacy groups. These events, their education plus their game-changing philanthropy cultivate empathy, shift audiences from APATHY to ACTION, and create a RIPPLE EFFECT in the larger community. www.rippleeffectartists.com
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WHAT: SHE HAS A NAME, Ripple Effect Artists’ production of the critically-acclaimed play by Andrew Kooman
WHEN: October 26, 27, 28, 29 and November 2, 4 & 5
TIME: 8:00pm – 10:00pm all dates, plus 4 matinees
MATINEES: October 28, 2:00pm – 4:00pm
October 29, 3:00pm – 5:00pm
November 4, 2:00pm – 4:00pm
November 5, 3:00pm – 5:00pm
TALKBACKS: 10:00pm – 10:30pm
WHERE: The Sargent Theatre, 314 West 54th Street, NYC
TICKET PRICE*: $40
TICKET WEBSITE: https://ripple-effect-artists-inc.ticketleap.com/she-has-a-name-reprise/
*A portion of the proceeds benefit Gems (Girls Education & Mentoring Services) and Ripple Effect Artists, Inc.
FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/rippleeffectartists
SYNOPSIS: SHE HAS A NAME tells the story of a young lawyer, who poses as a john to build a legal case against a brothel ring that is trafficking young girls internationally. His investigation centers on NUMBER 18, a girl forced to work as a prostitute, and discovers that her testimony is key to proving his case. Can he convince her to risk her life to testify for the sake of justice? The play is haunted by voices who usher Number 18 to her fate.
ABOUT SHE HAS A NAME: Playwright Andrew Kooman and Ripple Effect Artists re-worked the script to SHE HAS A NAME to create a United States version. For the Reprise, the brothel takes place in Los Angeles instead of abroad. The original SHE HAS A NAME toured across Canada from May to October 2012. In conjunction with the tour, A Better World raised money to help women and children who had been trafficked in Thailand as part of the country’s prostitution industry. This play received strong endorsement from Canadian activists, including MP Joy Smith, Ratanak International’s Brian McConaghy, and IJM Canada’s Jamie McIntosh. The play’s premiere and initial run were critically acclaimed. In the 2012 tour across Canada, SHE HAS A NAME was performed in several fringe theatre festivals, at which critics representing the Montreal Gazette, the Winnipeg Free Press, and CFEQ-FM said it stood out for its quality and moral content.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING: THE ISSUE
Trafficking of women and children globally is a $32 Billion industry. Many people think this is only a third world issue, but that is not true. The U.S. Department of Justice reports that between 2008 and 2010, 83% of sex trafficking victims found within the U.S. were U.S. citizens, and 40% of those victims were children. In NYC alone, it is a $1 Billion industry. Only a few months ago, The New York Post uncovered a Brooklyn Brothel that was secretly a front for human trafficking. Furthermore, the majority – upwards of 85% in some states – of trafficked children have had contact with the foster care system. Our nation’s foster care systems do not have the appropriate resources to address the epidemic of trafficking minors. The Strengthening Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act (H.R.469) will change this by providing child welfare agencies with training and guidelines for working with youth who have been or currently are victims of trafficking.
ABOUT RIPPLE EFFECT ARTISTS: Ripple Effect Artists, Inc. is an actor’s equity 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that addresses injustice and causes social impact through art – primarily by producing masterful plays – presenting them along with talkback discussions in partnership with educators and advocacy groups. These events, their education plus their game-changing philanthropy cultivate empathy, shift audiences from APATHY to ACTION, and create a RIPPLE EFFECT in the larger community. www.rippleeffectartists.com
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director: Jana Robbins
Stage Manager: Heather Klein
Executive Director, Jessie Fahay
CAST:
Ali/Voice 4 ……………………………………………………………………Jessica Jennings
Marta/Voice 3………………………………………………………………..Jessie Fahay
Voice 1/Number 18…………………………………………………………Jessica Grant
Mama/Voice2…………………………………………………………………LeDawna Akins
Jason/Pimp…………………………………………………………………….Tim Dowd
