Jana is in danger. Her boyfriend John is hurting her, and she is in denial. The other men in her life-her father, her teacher, her friend Mitchell-are struggling with what to do about it.
Guy Durichek plays these and other men in “You the Man,” a new one-man show about rape and domestic violence told from the male point of view. Cathy Plourde, Portland-based playwright and social activist, conceived and wrote the show, which will be presented in Maine on Monday, Feb. 11.
Plourde said the production is intended educate and prompt discussions on violence against women. She said she felt the male point of view was key to such discussions.
“It’s a big missing piece,” she said. “Abuse and violence don’t happen in a vacuum.”
To research for the script, Plourde sought advice from male professionals in the area of domestic violence. She found such experts through her personal network of friends and through theater and higher educational channels, including a women’s resources listserve. In the process, she also found her audience. Her educational theater company, Add Verb Productions, has already booked several performances after fielding calls from at least 10 states, all based only on word of mouth.
When Plourde approached Durichek about taking on the project, he said he was ready to get back to theater.
“I was on a self-imposed sabbatical,” he said. Durichek, who majored in theater at USM, was involved with various theater groups, among them the former Mad Horse Theater Company. He decided to take time off from acting to reserve more time for his daughter Elsa, who’s almost 3 years old. Not surprisingly, his little girl is part of the reason he agreed to do the show.
“This was an opportunity to take my love of theater and the joy I get from acting and combine it with something I really care about,” he said.
Durichek makes his living as a mechanical trades worker for USM’s Department of Facilities Management. When he approached his employers about the show, they helped him find the time from work for rehearsal.
“There aren’t too many employers who would do that,” he said.
While some of the roles Durichek plays represent different male reactions to the problem facing Jana, others like Officer Friendly debunk the myths of violent and abusive relationships. The play is framed by Stan the Man, a rhyming tough who answers letters from men, dispensing advice to about healthy relationships with women.
Durichek and Plourde were still working out the timing during their second rehearsal before a small audience of friends on a snowy Thursday evening at the Portland YWCA which is sponsoring the show. They will get more audience time when the show premieres at a private high school in Connecticut on this Tuesday.
The show’s Maine premiere is on Monday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Portland High School Auditorium. A discussion on domestic violence will follow the performance.
Art and Entertainment Editor Scott Marcoux can be contacted at: [email protected]