by Constance Jaquay Strickland

Quick peeks at #HFF26’s “Women on the Fringe” by Fringe Femmes who are behind the scenes this year. Click Here for all Check-Ins

WHO:  Melissa Rivera

WHAT: I. We. Us.

WHERE: Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, 5636 Melrose Ave

WHY: This is a show not here to entertain you. It deals with a societal topic that’s usually discussed in the quiet. There is no way around it – we immediately enter a tough conversation about being the child of rape.

I. We. Us poses a difficult question about identity and how a family handles an unspeakable trauma that has for years disrupted the lives of everyone involved. How do you make the hardest choice of your life while hanging by a thread? This is a story about fighting to protect and heal yourself. Do you ever actually move through and forward from trauma? At what cost do we use our intellect to ignore our heart? Is it too late to come to the realization that the acto of moving on hurt those you left behind? This one-act play asks hard questions. There are no easy answers, but the play serves as a reminder that with love, empathy and understanding family can always come together to face the toughest of challenges.

HOW: https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/13273