Innocent Violence

Fictional violence—ubiquitous and mind numbing—can cause society to overlook the very real violence in daily life. Zoukak brought the phrase “innocent violence” to work with University of Houston students to find out what violence meant to them and how it has entered their lives. Through a series of classes and workshops with a diverse array of students—history, science, social studies, political science majors—the many different facets of violence students face were teased out, and reformed into a collective work of theater.

So few individuals in positions of power actually listen to what students want, despite official words to the contrary. Innocent Violence provides a window into what students think—by giving them theatrical tools of expression. The students become a collective and together create a picture of today’s world, made up of many individual voices that question the state of current political discourse. This raw theater experience aims to capture the personal voices and conflicts of those on the edge of adulthood.

Presentation dates and locations:

Presented in April 2016 during CounterCurrent Festival at MATCH Midtown Arts and Theater Center, Houston, Texas.