Photo courtesy of Catharsis Productions “Sex Signals” presenters Sharyon Culberson and Kyle B. Terry performed at the York Theater June 15 through 17 for Fort Bragg Soldiers. The program was semi-scripted and after each skit, the presenters led discussions with the audience about preventing sexual assault and the meaning of intimate consent.

Non-stranger rape and the need for intimate consent were two issues parried June 15 through 17 at nine presentations of interaction skits attended by hundreds of Fort Bragg Soldiers.

The program, “Sex Signals,” is designed to meet the Army’s training requirements for sexual assault and sexual harassment in a more accessible format, said Sgt. 1st Class Michael L. Christian, an equal opportunity advisor with the XVIII Airborne Corps Equal Opportunity Office.

Christian said each performance, which is a series of set pieces, featuring a male and female on stage, highlighting the legal and emotional jeopardy in finding a sexual partner, was attended by 200 to 300 Soldiers, who were mostly in the high-risk 18 to 25-year-old age group. “They enjoy being here because they feel involved, and it makes them forget they were told to be here,” he said.

Private 1st Class Stephano N. Gouva, a resident of North Haven, Conn., assigned to the 18th Fires Brigade, said the program was much better than the traditional lecture-style session he expected.
“I thought it was great. I mean we finally get a program where they involved the audience,” he said. “They explained the whole situation and how it could happen in real life. It was very realistic.”

Specialist Samantha J. Lee, a native of Yuma, Az., assigned to the 108th Air Defense and Artillery Brigade, said she found the program both helpful and interesting.

“But, it seems like they were doing it for shock value,” she added.

Another Soldier with the 108th, Pfc. Shaena R. Kidwell, a native of Whidbey Island, Wash., said, “It was a great program, but it would have been better if they had split up the males and females and then brought us together at the end.”

By September of 2009, more than 400 presentations of ‘Sex Signals’ were produced at Army installations around the world, including visits to installations in Germany, Korea, Qatar, Kuwait, and Iraq, said Kim Miller a manager from the Chicago-based Catharsis Productions, the show’s producer. There are specific versions for Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine and Coast Guard audiences.

Miller said the program was created by Christian Murphy and Gail Stern, and since 2000 it has become one of the most popular programs on sexual assault awareness among college audiences, military personnel, and educators. “We currently have 17 presenters who tour for ‘Sex Signals.’”

Kyle B. Terry, the show’s male lead, said he is amazed and gratified by the reaction of the audiences, especially after the show, when members of the audience tell him how deeply the show affected them.

“It varies from people feeling is was a little racy to people saying it hit the issues right on the head to some actually confiding to us a personal situation — from either end, either as the aggressor or the victim,” he said.

Terry, who has been with the show for six years, said he and his stage partner, Sharyon Culberson, must be careful not to allow an individual to reveal too much information to them.
“We are trained to gently facilitate them to a counselor as quickly as possible,” he said. “We tell them the more they tell us the more you risk having us come forward to testify.”

Culberson, who has been with the show for two years, said, “We are just glad to let them know that they are not alone. We want them to speak with someone they can actually have a relationship with — after a show we leave in a couple of days.”

Terry said, “If somebody does take advantage of you, that is wrong. Having somebody reinforce that in front of a large group and say: ‘Hey, that is not ok. It is not your fault,’ it helps a lot.”
Lieutenant Col. Raphael D. Boyd, the equal opportunity program manager for the XVIII Airborne Corps, said the program is synched up with the Army’s “I. A.M. Strong” campaign that teaches Soldiers to Intervene, Act and Motivate when confronted with a situation that could lead to sexual assault.

Boyd said because the actors are close to the ages of the audiences it has more impact, although it includes language or might be too strong for some people.

Each Soldier also held a white card with the word, “STOP” written in bold red letters that they can hold up at any time during the program if they feel uncomfortable, he said. “Soldiers are free to leave the training at any time without repercussion.”

“Some of it is really not funny, even though they use humor to get the point across,” he said. “I don’t find it humorous, but at the same time, they are reaching out to the audience in a better way than: Next slide, next slide, what are your questions?”

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