BWW Previews: JAKARTA PERFORMING ARTS COMMUNITY Commits to Fight Gender-Based Violence Through BLACKBIRD Play

Jakarta Performing Arts Community (JPAC), a non-profit organization focusing on empowerment through the performing arts will perform David Harrower's theatrical play BLACKBIRD on December 8 & 9, 2018, at SAE Institute, South Jakarta. This production is part of the 16 Film Festival, an activism event slotted to run from November 25 to December 10, 2018.

The play tells the story of two ordinary people, a man and a woman, who are trapped together in a complex situation as they attempt to see eye-to-eye regarding their shared past, along with flashbacks to a sexual relationship between an adult and a minor. Since its premiere in 2005, Blackbird has won multiple literary and theatrical awards.

Blackbird will be the first non-musical production by JPAC, which has previously produced nine musicals since its founding in 2014 (the latest one being Dreamgirls in May of this year). The play is produced with an official license arranged through Samuel French Ltd. and in collaboration with Pulih @ the Peak dan Komnas Perempuan (National Commission on Violence Against Women). JPAC's production of Blackbird will be directed by Fonnyta Amran and will star Rizal Iwan and Ajeng Sharfina.

Blackbird is chosen as it is believed to be a necessary step to open eyes and start a dialogue about both sexual violence and violence against children and how they interact and intersect. By showcasing a complex scenario, JPAC looks to provoke both critical thinking and compassionate response towards similar cases.

Following the first show on Saturday, December 8, a discussion session with the topic of abuse victims awareness, recovery, and empowerment will be held with survivors, activists, and psychologists from Pulih @ The Peak and Komnas Perempuan. And following the second show on Sunday, December 9, an acting workshop session for acting in plays dealing with difficult subjects such as sexual violence without compromising one's emotional and mental health.

Through this production, JPAC also seeks to raise donations for Yayasan Pulih in their effort to assist the recovery and empowerment of abuse victims. Each show of Blackbird will use a donation system in place of conventional ticket sale.

For further information, check JPAC's Instagram @jakartapac.

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