The Carleton Players will present Naomi Iizuka’s provocative drama, “Good Kids,” exploring the very public aftermath of a sexual assault, and its subsequent cover-up. The very relevant and timely production is a gut-wrenching examination of victim blaming and the role of social media in modern-day “he said/she said” situations.
“Good Kids” premieres Friday, Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Weitz Center for Creativity Theater at Carleton College, with additional performances at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10; Thursday, Feb. 15; and Friday, Feb. 16. There is also a 2 p.m. matinee performance on Sunday, Feb. 11. Admission is free and open to the public. “Good Kids” contains material regarding sexual assault and intimate partner violence, and is intended for mature audiences only.
Loosely based on the 2012 Steubenville High School rape case, “Good Kids” is set at a Midwestern high school, in a world of Facebook and Twitter, smartphones and YouTube. The play explores an encounter at a party gone wrong and its very public aftermath. Who's telling the truth? Whose version of the story do you believe? And what does that say about you?
“Good Kids” is designed to remind us that just because you’re a “good kid” doesn’t mean that terrible things can’t happen to you or that you can’t do terrible things to others.
The playwright, Naomi Iizuka says, “I wanted to write a play that spoke to issues that were very important to university students right now. Having taught at a number of schools as a guest artist, and now teaching at University of California–San Diego, it seems like the issue of sexual assault—and more importantly, the attitudes and misconceptions that create a climate where sexual assault is prevalent—seemed timely.”
The author of 36 plays, Iizuka has received numerous awards and honors including fellowships from the Jerome Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation. She is the recipient of the 2005 Alpert Award in the Arts, a 2006 Joyce Award, and the 2007 PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award. Iizuka earned a BA from Yale University and an MFA in playwriting from the University of California, San Diego.
“Good Kids” is presented by the Carleton Players with support from the Carleton College Department of Theater & Dance. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-4531. The Weitz Center for Creativity is located at 320 Third Street East in Northfield.