FARMINGTON — As part of its conference on the global crisis of human trafficking, the University of Maine at Farmington is presenting a staged reading of “Body and Sold,” a powerful documentary play written by Deborah Lake Fortson of Tempest Productions. The performance will take place at 7 p.m., Saturday, April 7, in the performance space in the UMF Emery Community Arts Center.
This potent play is part of the national campaign to raise awareness about sex trafficking of American children and young teens. It draws from interviews with teens from Boston, Hartford, New York, Minneapolis and Los Angeles who had run away from home, were trafficked and then trapped in the sex industry for months or years.
Fortson’s compelling script tells why they ran away, how they were trafficked, what they endured and how they managed to escape and begin to rebuild their lives. The play promotes community dialogue and will be followed by a panel discussion with individuals from law enforcement, public policy, advocacy and direct service working to combat human trafficking right here in Maine.
The staged reading is directed by UMF student Eliza Robinson and is open to the public. Admission is $8 for general public and $4 for students with student I.D. Ten percent of the proceeds will support the Body and Sold Project and 90 percent of the proceeds will be donated to Not Here Maine, a Maine-based anti-trafficking organization.
Content is for a mature audience.
Students involved in the production are, back from, from left: Allison Jarvis, Mathew Dotson, Leila Pellegrino and Hailey Craig. Front, from left: Laney Randolph, Aurora Bartley, Ripley Biggs and Jonas Maines. Not pictured: Astra Peirson, Brittany Hemphill, Theo Estevao and Julia Allen.
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