*Abuse is never a positive subject to write about, but SHINE Community Theater Arts Company founder, playwright and director Keyana Ri’chards approaches the themes of sexual abuse as well as domestic violence with tact, assertiveness and a healthy dose of reality in her latest play ‘Invisible Dani: No More Secrets’ currently playing at the Pico Playhouse in Los Angeles.
“I decided to write [Invisible Dani], because I was fed up with living a life of shame and fear,” said Ri’chards. “I knew I needed help. I was broken. I was suicidal. I knew there were others like me. I knew our community needed someone to take a stand, so I put my pen to paper. I wrote ‘Invisible Dani: No More Secrets’ to give people like me their power back.”
Low self-esteem and abuse in the home sets the tone for an unscrupulous person to take advantage of the innocence of a venerable youth. In the play, the main character, ‘Dani,’ played by Candace Nicholas Lippman, is an impressionable teen from a broken home that becomes prey to an unscrupulous family member and the play takes an unexpected turn.
The play’s serious theme of domestic and sexual abuse is supported by a phenomenal acting team lead by Rory Darvel, who pays the initially helpful Uncle Lewis. Each character has two sides, serious and comical, transitioning from hilarious comical scenes to serious dramatic pros seamlessly. These comical interludes add to the emotional content of the play, taking the viewer on an emotional rollercoaster, just like real life. In a similar fashion to real life, a happy moment can change into a life altering event based on the decisions made in the heat of the moment.
‘Invisible Dani’ shows that a mere moment can lead from innocent action towards shameful results if left unaccounted for.
“The most innocent moments can change a person’s life drastically,” said the narrator, setting the scene that sets up the second half of the play. That innocent encounter started as a series of letters and evolved into an illicit kiss. In this scene Uncle Lewis makes his play to begin the life of molestation that the main character, Dani, must endure. In this powerful scene Lippman shows her acting skills, as she reals from the unexpected kiss, with nothing more than facial expressions and full body shivering.
This play was written in two basic parts. The first was the exposure of the behavior that creates the family structures as well as the situations that lead to the unnatural relationships such has statutory rape, domestic violence and incest. Furthermore, these abnormal environments make the illicit relationships and unnatural situations seem acceptable to the victim. The second half of the play describes how those involved in the abuse search for both understanding and a way out of the traumatic cycle.
Brittney Banks plays an excellent role as the abusive mother to the main character going from happy party girl to a psycho ‘Mommy Dearest’ in an very physical performance where she danced, laughed cried and wrestled with every character in the production. Bryant Norman, who plays the step-father to the main character, adds to the back and forth see-saw arguing with the mother further contributing to the unstable environment before finally realizing that he is partly to blame for the families’ situation.
Coming with traces of comedy that balances out the serious tones of the various scenes is comedic actor Jael Saran, who plays the LGBT character Lance. He entertained the crowd with antics and quick comebacks in similar fashion to a Jim Carey or Robert Townsend, with a quit whit and cleverly written banter. Aiding to the comic relief is Auntie May played by La’Keisha “Starra” Simon who plays Lance’s ‘straight man.’
The quality of acting in this play can easily overshadow the complexity of the writing displayed in this play and hints at a bright future for all involved in this production. Foreshadowing the climactic ending of the play further adds to the distinctiveness of the play as the first scene, a dramatic argument between Uncle Lewis and Auntie May is repeated at the end of the play and combined with the back story presented in the storyline further fleshes out the story of the supporting characters and explains their true importance to the plot.
These patterns of abuse perpetuates from generation to generation and threatens to pull in each person that it encompasses inside of its range. Clinical physiologist and LA Trauma Therapy Specialist Cindi Henrie chimes in on the topics and physiological situations presented in the play.
“We figured that there are allot of survivors here that are dealing with some of the similar issues” said Henrie in a question and answer session to address issues in the play and how the audience was dealing with it. “It’s important to tell your story, and not to take on somebody else’s shame,” continued Henrie. “In [Invisible Dani], the uncle needed to put that shame into Dani. And the person that is hurting you puts that shame, their shame, onto you. And that’s something you have to take off of you. It doesn’t belong to you.”
“I just want to say to the survivors [of domestic and sexual abuse], and to those who support survivors, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We walk around with a mask on, because of fear, because of shame or whatever it may be,” added Ri’chards. “If you get nothing out of this play, you can get that I’m standing right here today. I’m very proud of where I am today, because of where I was yesterday. I encourage counseling. I don’t care if it happened fifty years ago. I encourage you, because you may have things going on in your life, you may be acting in ways, in your life that you don’t even know. You don’t know that you are acting in these ways towards other people, towards yourself. Seek help.”
This is a must see play for anyone seeking to understand, escape from, or deal with the effect of violence and infidelity inside of the family structure. Bring your tissue and someone to hug at the end because it will get emotional, as even those who have not been affected by the before mentioned tragedies are moved with emotion and might shed a tear.
‘Invisible Dani: No More Secrets’ continues at the Pico Playhouse July 18-19. The Pico Playhouse and Meta Theater is located 10508 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90064 off the corner of Pico Boulevard and Patricia Avenue. For more information or for ticket contact Keyana Ri’chards at (323) 252-5501 or [email protected].
story and photos: Troy Tieuel/[email protected]
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