Inner Voices

• Inner Voices: Social Issues Theatre addresses contemporary social and health issues pertinent to the college experience through performances followed by facilitated discussions. Audience members are encouraged to consider how subtle and not-so-subtle actions and behaviors in everyday situations affect thoughts and feelings.  These performances take place in residence halls, the Armory Free Theatre, in classrooms, sororities, fraternities and the larger Champaign-Urbana community.
• Inner Voices began in the spring of 1995 as a vehicle for addressing binge drinking on college campuses. Sponsored by McKinley Health Center, the Counseling Center and the Department of Theatre at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Inner Voices has grown into a program offering high quality performances critical to promoting a healthy social environment at the University of Illinois. Additionally, the program provides an opportunity for students to be actively engaged in the process of creating and performing social issues theatre through three courses which students may take for academic credit.
• Three touring shows are offered per semester, each addressing a different topic ranging from health concerns such as substance abuse, sexual health and body image to social issues such as sexual orientation, racism, women's issues and sexual assault.
• Performances range from 20-40 minutes and are designed to be fun, informative and challenging. They are followed by a facilitated discussion.  Facilitators include trained professionals from the Counseling Center and McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois as well as students who are training in the fields of social work, women's studies, performance studies and health-related fields and who are currently enrolled in the "We are the World: Leading Discussions for Theatre" class.
• Performances work well in a variety of situations including classrooms, conferences, special events, fraternities, sororities and in residence halls.  Past engagements have included participation in national conferences, community health classes, women's studies classes, participation in domestic violence and sexual assault awareness months, World AIDS Day, and performances in nearly every residence hall on campus.
• All that we require is an open space and an audience. We provide the rest including lighting and sound equipment.
• Programs may be modified to suit a specific time and event criteria, and may include workshops in addition to the set program.  We encourage your input into prospective programs during preliminary contacts.
• Contact Lisa Fay, Inner Voices Social Issues Theatre Coordinator, to schedule a performance and to find out the semester's offerings. To assure availability we suggest that you contact us as early as possible by calling Lisa Fay at 244-0212 or e-mail at lfay@uiuc.edu.

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