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Production illustrates oppression in society

April 17, 2014
<p>Interdisciplinary studies in social science senior Kristian Gore delivers a monologue on sex trafficking April 17, 2014 during the annual Tunnel of Oppression at MSU Mosaic: The Multicultural Unity Center in the MSU Union. The play brings awareness to oppression that occurs on campus and around the world. It is student written, directed and acted. Erin Hampton/The State News</p>

Interdisciplinary studies in social science senior Kristian Gore delivers a monologue on sex trafficking April 17, 2014 during the annual Tunnel of Oppression at MSU Mosaic: The Multicultural Unity Center in the MSU Union. The play brings awareness to oppression that occurs on campus and around the world. It is student written, directed and acted. Erin Hampton/The State News

Photo by Erin Hampton | The State News

Actors performed 10 skits, which included monologues and dialogues about body shaming, sexual assault, bullying, gun violence, high incarceration rates among black communities and mental health shaming. Audience members walked through a tunnel as the actors performed their skits under a spotlight.

Graduate student and co-director Zain Shamoon said the play is meant to be an outlet for people to share their personal experiences rather than having society tell their story for them.

The production was meant to leave people feeling uneasy.

“The main thing is that when you come to things like these, you’re either going to leave uncomfortable or unsettled but also kind of inspired,” Shamoon said.

The group chooses 12 different forms of oppression to perform each year, always saving sex trafficking as the final skit.

Despite lack of widespread knowledge on the issue, co-director and comparative cultures and politics junior Emma Davis said sex trafficking still remains a problem.

Shamoon said many students think sex trafficking only exists in third world countries and not in their own area.

One skit also addressed the misconstrued ideas behind mental illness and how it is perceived.

The monologue sho ws two people having a conversation with society on mental illness. International relations senior Akhilesh Menawat, the co-author of the skit, said it was meant to symbolize the daily struggles people who are battling mental illness encounter.

“Everything I wrote is my personal experience,” Menawat said. “I’m very passionate about it. It is more than just writing a skit, it is a manifestation of who I am.”

Advertising junior Jackie Xiong became emotional in the beginning of the play. She said the tunnel prepares the audience for the production setting.

“I can reflect on (the skits) and some of it I could relate to,” she said.

After the show, students were invited to a separate counseling room for a debriefing for those who were emotionally stirred or traumatized by the stories. An MSU guidance counselor was available. Students sat at a table and shared their stories and feedback on the tunnel with the assistance of production members.

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