Our Mission
Survivor Theatre Project's mission is to empower survivors with the tools to break silence and end sexual violence through empowerment, social justice, creativity, and public performance. We are a performance company committed to survivor leadership in the movement to end sexual violence. We believe that art is a powerful tool for individual and collective transformation.
Our Vision
Survivor Theatre Project brings survivors to the center of the effort to break silence and end sexual violence through empowerment, social justice, creativity, and public performance. Performances are engaging, poignant, funny, and provocative, and open up dialogue within our communities to address the reality of how common sexual violence is, and what we can do to stop it.
We are a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, intergenerational, and multi-gender community of artist survivors committed to utilizing creative arts in resisting all forms of violence: sexual, physical, mental, emotional, verbal, ritual, and gender-based. Our intention is to offer high quality, trauma-informed, expressive arts, and social justice opportunities for healing in our communities. We believe in each individual's’ right to exist, resist, as well as a quality of life. We believe in the healing power of creative expression to disrupt cultures of violence and co-create cultures of love, accountability, respect, and consent.
We are guided by an anti-oppression, healing justice framework that motivates and guides the work that we do within our communities. We define sexual violence to include child sexual abuse, incest, ritual abuse, sex trafficking, rape, molestation, intimate partner violence, college campus sexual assault, sexual violence in institutions (such as in prisons and the military), on the border, and as a tactic of war. Survivor Theatre Project's work lives at the intersections of performance art, healing arts, healing justice, reproductive justice, social justice activism, and trauma recovery.
Our Community Work
Survivor Theatre Project offers...
- WORKSHOPS for survivors that teach practical and creative tools for healing and empowerment.
- PERFORMANCES by survivors that engage our communities in the movement to end sexual violence and rape culture.
- TRAINING for mental health professionals, facilitators, and advocates working with survivors.
For all inquiries email: info@survivortheatreproject.com
The Collective Bios
Noemi Saafyr Paz
Noemi Saafyr Paz a.k.a. as "Saafyr" a.k.a. Miss Pussy is a queer, black/indo-caribeean expressive healing artist loving on communities through event hosting, spoken word poetry, rap, singing,dance,visual arts, sign language and theater. As Director of Survivor Theatre Project, and founder of SOS: Sharing Our Stories she advocates for human rights and pleasure activism such as creatively ending sexual violence, healing with bodies, and reflecting with community for revolution. She is beyoned surviving; she is THRIVING!
Contact Saafyr at: noemipeace@gmail.com
Iréne "I-SHEA" Shaikly
I-SHEA is an eclectic ARTist and musician aka ‘The Original Jewminican’ who comes from the source of hip hop and raised in the sauce of merengue, bolero, rumba, salsa, nyabinghi and west african rhythms.
A Self identified Global Citizen.
I-SHEA joined STP in July 2016 as co-facilitator for the Performance Project workshops and co-director for the Touring Company in Holyoke, MA. Since then, I-SHEA has continued to be involved as Publicity, Education, and Outreach Coordinator, Touring Company Director, Facilitator, and a leadership team member of the Collective.
"I-SHEA is a place that one is transported to each time that voice and hands meet microphone and tambor. I-SHEA is the perfect balance between music and storytelling. I-SHEA is the crossroads where two worlds intersect: where music both comments on the times we live in, and at the same time, points the way toward the world that can be if we heed the message of truth, justice, and healing."
"I-SHEA gathers all the hearts around her and sweeps us up into her blaze of music and energy. Teacher and performer, she leaves no doubt that love is to be found in music and in the world. Poetess, her life and work are a testimony to the power of culture, love and spirit!"
Contact I-SHEA at: originaljewminicanmusic@gmail.com
Martha Rogers
Martha Rogers has embraced Survivor Theatre Project's mission since 2011, taking roles in various projects as director, facilitator and musical accompanist. She began organizing and managing the Healing Through Creative Arts Workshop Series 3 years ago, welcoming and mentoring facilitators who have offered a wide range of artistic workshop topics for the series. Her many years of experience as a Boston and Lexington public school music teacher and as an adjunct faculty member in music education training programs provide a wealth of experience for Martha to continue cultivating STP's vibrant vision for our creative work at the Cambridge Women's Center.
Jacey is a somatic coach, gratefully in leadership community with Survivor Theatre Project! In the spirit of collective liberation, they support kinfolk to to transform burn-out culture and make their unique contribution to transformative social justice sustainably, for the long-haul. Through somatic coaching, expressive arts, and bodywork, they support clients to embody what truly matters to them, developing pragmatic skills and resources that support alignment of values and actions individually and collectively.
Kaia Jackson
Kaia Jackson (they/them) is a healing arts facilitator, collaborative leader and movement chaplain committed to practicing trauma-informed, anti-oppressive and healing-centered methods of facilitation. They are passionate about offering one-on-one support, workshops and dialogues on spiritual care, community care and embodied healing. They joined the Collective Leadership Team after performing with the Touring Company in “Roaaarrr! A Beautiful Anger (2017). They are celebrating having recently completed an MDiv with a concentration in writing and a special project on trauma-informed spiritual care. Kaia, a queer Ashkenazi Jew, is also dedicated to learning how to center the voices of BIPOC, queer and trans survivors in the movement to end sexual violence. You can find Kaia’s mini-podcast project in response to Covid-19, Survivor Dispatch, on Soundcloud at http://soundcloud.com/kaia-jackson-820375435/sets/survivor-dispatch (transcripts available upon request). Kaia is also co-creating a longer-range audio storytelling project that will bring strategies and spiritualities of survivor artists, activists, and healers into public discourse. Collaboration inquiries and accessibility needs are welcome at kaiajackson180@gmail.com.
Melissa Redwin
Melissa Redwin is a survivor, professional theatre artist, director, and educator who focuses on work with survivors of sexual violence and theatre as a mode of community education and healing. Originally from North Carolina, she holds an MA in Theatre Education from Emerson College. She founded Survivor Theatre Project in 2008, developing a devised theater curriculum and training facilitators in creating original theatre with survivors in a trauma-informed space. Melissa currently serves as Artistic Director and Program Facilitator at Survivor Theatre Project. Melissa works as a freelance actor and play director in Western Massachusetts. She also teaches and performs with Enchanted Circle Theater, a professional educational theater company based in Holyoke, Massachusetts, which is dedicated to engaging, enhancing, and inspiring learning through the arts.
Contact Melissa at: survivortheatreproject@gmail.com