Tough Issues

by Amy Dalness

Daily Lobo

One in every six women is a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime.

Fifty-four percent occur before the age of 18, and 22 percent of these incidents occur before age 12, according to the National Violence Against Women Survey in 2000.

Playwright Liz Castillo is a member of that 22 percent.

Castillo's story is told through her play "Little Girls Don't Do That," running at Theatre X in the Center for the Arts.

The UNM production of "Little Girls" is the second ever. Director Asae Dean saw the play at the American College Theatre Festival and asked Castillo if she could produce the play in Albuquerque.

"I thought the play would find an audience at UNM," Dean said in an e-mail interview.

It tells the story of Kris (Alisia Downing) and her relationship gone wrong with childhood friend Eddie (Chris Orrell). It also explores the dynamics and strains it placed on her parents, Grace (Hope DeLarue) and Juan (Babak Gharei-Tafti).

Although rape is a huge theme in "Little Girls," the play also explores the reaction of Kris's parents when she tells them she is a lesbian. Her parents are Catholic, and the reaction is less than sitcom perfect.

These themes are a major reason Dean chose this script to bring to the stage.

"College is one of the times people spend exploring issues of gender, sexuality, social and economic class, culture, age and power," she said. "This play speaks to all of these issues."

Because this is the first production of the play Castillo wasn't directly involved in, she came to Albuquerque to see it.

"It's still hard for me to watch," she said after the show. "I walked in and saw a bed and thought, 'Oh God, what are they going to do?'"

Castillo got her master of fine arts in playwrighting at Texas Tech University. She is planning a theater company that will focus on women and minority issues. She also does stand-up comedy in Lubbock, Texas, where she lives.

"Little Girls" opens with Kris crying on her bed. She gets up, prays for her sins, and holds a gun to her head. The lights drop and then re-focus on Kris center stage. She gives one of the many comedic monologues in the play that discuss topics from tampon use to her parent's warnings of, "Don't touch that - it's caca!"

The story continues with 5-year-old Kris's sexual assault by her older friend Eddie.

Many of the rape scenes are cleverly depicted with the use of Ken and Barbie and a game of not-so-happy house.

The script is full of revealing language, showing the human side of the tough issues related to rape and sexuality.

Orrell's portrayal of Eddie is disturbing, yet shows signs of an innocent 9-year-old who's only doing what he thinks he has to do. Downing excels in her dynamic comedic monologues and honest confessions. Gharei-Tafti brought Juan a sense of vulnerability that playwright Castillo noted.

The play is the first for Theatre X this season, which will also host "Pounding Nails in the Floor with My Forehead," "Pale Idiot" and the Words Afire: New Play Festival.

For more information visit www.unm.edu/~theater/td.