We often forget how powerful the words ‘yes’ and ‘no’ are – especially in the context of consent.
Luckily, award-winning writer and performer Karin McCracken has combined her love for the arts with her training as a sexual violence prevention educator to bring locals the production, ‘Yes Yes Yes’.
“My collaborator – Eleanor Bishop – and I had made previous work about sexual violence and ending sexual violence because we’re both very passionate about that,” McCracken explained.
“We think that sexual violence can be ended in our lifetime through a whole community effort. I suppose our theatre productions are our contributions towards that effort.”
The pair from New Zealand didn’t receive consent education during high school and consider the show a gift to their former selves.
“We’ve toured this show a lot, we’ve been all over the world,” McCracken said.
“For young people that come to it, there’s a perception that theatre in education is kind of patronizing.
“I remember when I was in high school and speakers would come to talk to students or a theatre show would come with a social message, I always felt it was condescending.”
The pair have created a show that makes students feel seen and equal through enjoyable, engaging and compelling theatre.
“I think people find it funny, even though they expect to see a show that is very serious,” McCracken stated.
“We built the show in the same way we build any of our other shows that aren’t talking about consent. We want people to laugh, we want the story to be engaging, we want people to have a good time, and that’s the feedback that we’ve had.”
The plot follows two storylines.
“One is a story that I tell through monologue about a positive and consensual one-night-stand that I had,” McCracken began.
“It shows how you determine if someone is interested in you and if they want to be intimate.”
The other storyline follows an assault that occurs at a high school party.
“We built that storyline by working with high schools and collating stories together,” McCracken detailed.
“It shows the fall-out from the assault and how the communities of both involved manage what’s happening.”
McCracken reflected on how she would feel if she took a step back into her school shoes and watched the show as a teenager.
“The things that we talk about in the show are not just assault, but also gender and sexuality, gender norms, and the expectations on young men, women and non-binary students,” the performer said.
“I would hope that everyone would feel like it’s relatable.”
‘Yes Yes Yes’ is on May 27 at Riverside Theatres. Tickets range from $39 to $45.
Ally Hall joined the team 2024, and focuses on entertainment and community stories. She is a graduate of the University of South Australia.