"Be awake, be alert and be aware of things that don't sit well with you," Nawa Simon tells high school students attending Far From the Heart, an interactive theatre production that deals with dating violence and sexual assault.

She's talking about what's happening on stage, but her words of wisdom could just as easily be applied to real life situations faced by teenagers on any given weekend.  

And Far From the Heart is all about "keeping it real."

The innovative three-part sex education program starts with a stage play that follows a young girl named Felicity and three of her friends as they get ready for a party.

Felicity experiences peer pressure from her girlfriend, is bullied by her possessive and violent boyfriend and then ends up drunk, in the basement on a waterbed where she is sexually assaulted by another boy who seemed to want to help her.

At the end final scene we hear:

"She asked for it..."

"Look at the way she was dressed..."

"She was drunk, what did she expect... She's such a slut..."

"Why don't they believe that he raped me..."

The scenario, the dialogue, the action, could all have a "viewer discretion advised" warning, but that's the point. It makes you squirm in your seat. It makes you think.

"Does this seem real to you? Do you recognize any of your friends or classmates in these characters," Simon asks.

There's the usual guffaws and awkward laughter as the teens react to the events that have just occurred on stage, but Simon, a kind of hip Dr. Phil character who asks "How's that workin' for ya?" is ready for this and engages the students, who soon nod in agreement, that yes, they do recognize and relate to what has just happened on stage.

Far From the Heart began in 2006 as a vision of Joan Chandler, Artistic Director of Sheatre and the original play was performed by local youth from Owen Sound to Tobermory.

"It was so successful, we decided to hire professional actors and take the show on the road," said Chandler, as she watched the performance from the floor of the GBSS gymnasium on Wednesday.

The project addresses dating violence, date rape and safe relationships.  Developed with young people and delivered by youth, counsellors and teachers, the program is made up of a comprehensive package including performing arts, interactive discussions, an educational guide, teacher training, and in-class student activities.

At the core is an interactive theatre forum that helps students recognize the different forms pressure and violence in dating relationships can take, and explores the issues that lie beneath this behaviour.

The play was written and adapted by Chandler and is directed by Simon Malbogat using professional actors Emma Hunter, Michael Luckett, Lauren Spring, Michael Cooper and Nawa Simon, who were all chosen for the youthful appearance. They blend in perfectly and really connect with their teenage audience.

Especially in part two of the theatre forum, which is an interactive instant replay where the actors go through certain scenes and the students identify moments when things are going wrong and propose solutions that will keep Felicity safe and the boys out of trouble.

With a little bit of coaxing from Simon, the first few smart-ass retorts from the guys turn into serious comments and suggestions. Students are invited up on stage to act out their solutions with the actors as the scenes are replayed, which pleases Chandler. "It's like popcorn, once one goes, they all start to get into it," she says.

It's a challenging job for the young actors, who have to be ready to improvise through whatever situation arises through the students' participation.

"That's the best part - it's very refreshing," says actor Lauren Spring who plays Felicity's friend Rachel.  "No one ever thought about popping the water bed before!" she said referring to one student's solution to getting out of a sticky situation.

The actors understand the student hijinks and laughter. "We know they laugh because the alternative may be uncomfortable or scary," says actor Emma Hunter after the show.

"This was a great show. The audience really reacted to the situations and it was a very good response, probably because many of them have already experienced some of the situations portrayed in the play."

Actor Michael Cooper, who portrays the violent, possessive boyfriend, says one of the key things they try to get across is how important clear communication is in these types of situations.

"None of the characters in the play communicate clearly, but when the students came up on stage, they communicate very clearly that they are not happy with the situation and the whole dynamic changes - communication is key," he says.

"If they can see this and take that away with them, if we can help them recognize a risky or dangerous situation and how to get out of it hen we've achieved our goal."

"We're not looking for perfect endings, just different endings," Simon tells the crowd. "By definition, a sexual assault is any unwanted sexual contact. If you or any of your friends are involved in a situation like this, you need to know that you have the right to leave - you have the right to be safe."

Technically, the play is about sexual assault and date rape, but it also touched on other teen issues like binge drinking, body image and self-esteem and drinking and driving because they all interconnect at some point.

"Seventy-five per cent of the time, sex is done while under the influence of drugs or alcohol," states Simon. "Why is that?"

Following the stage production, the audience was split into groups that met with trained counsellors who posed questions and helped further educate the students about the facts and dispel some myths about sexual assault.

"Only one per cent of date rapes are ever reported," says Chandler. "Students are uncomfortable seeking help and the group sessions afterward put a face to the counsellors and make the students aware that counsellors are people who can be approached and who can help," she adds.

As part of the project, teachers attend a special training session where counsellors and youth guided them through the educational program and a newly published educational guide book. They also discussed what teachers can do if a young person presents with these issues.

"The goal is to assist in the delivery of the core curriculum in the areas of sexual health and violence prevention," says Chandler.

The production will be on tour from until May 2 and will be seen by over 2,500 young people in 25 performances. The troupe will present to school audiences from The Bruce Peninsula, Flesherton, Lucknow, Meaford, Chesley, Port Elgin, Walkerton, Hanover, and Owen Sound.  

Far From the Heart is supported by an unprecedented coalition that grew from the shared determination to reach out and help to change these statistics. 

It's a production of Sheatre in partnership with youth, The Bluewater Board of Education, teachers, and community agencies including The Sexual Assault & Partner Abuse Care Centre (Grey Bruce Health Services), The Men's Program (Grey/Bruce), Women's House Serving Grey Bruce, Parent Action on Drugs, Victim Witness Assistance Program, Bruce Grey Public Health, and Mixed Company Theatre.   Each has made a significant contribution to the content and shape of the program.

The project received financial support from The Ontario Trillium Foundation, The Canadian Women's Foundation, The Ministries of Education and Culture: Arts Education Partnership Initiative through The Ontario Arts Foundation, The United Way Rotary Fund, The Raptors Foundation and The Ministry of The Attorney General. 

Supporters of the seed project were The Grey Bruce Community Foundation, The United Way of Bruce Grey, Rogers Television and The Council for Business and the Arts.

FACTS TO CONSIDER:

• 63 per cent of all sexual assaults reported to police involve girls under the age of 18.
• 51 percent of all Canadian women have experienced at least one incident of sexual or physical violence. 
• In one study, one in five male students said that forced intercourse was all right "if he spends money on her", "if he is stoned or drunk", or  "if they had been dating for a long time." 
• Only one per cent of date rapes are ever reported.