Imagine being offered everything you ever wanted: love, sex, money and fame. But in return, you need to give up the only thing you ever had – innocence.
Thus runs the tagline of Innocent Flesh, a play authored by acclaimed American writer and director Kenyetta Lethridge about four young women who spiral into a life of sex with strangers, molestation, rape and abortion.
TAC Theatre producer Wesley Ellul and director Marc Cabourdin have adapted Lethridge’s script to the Maltese context by peppering it with local references.
The four protagonists – Candice, Lisa, Lupita and Danna – speak Maltese, English and a mixture of both.
People running sex trafficking operations prey on the weak and the naïve
The actresses also transform themselves into a number of characters: from the young victims of the sex trade, to pimps, parents and police officers.
Mr Cabourdin tells Times of Malta the play will prompt people to question whether we’re doing enough to combat sex trafficking on our shores.
“Malta is a tiny island where everyone seems to know everyone. It’s therefore very easy to forget that the person next door may be living a fundamentally different reality,” he said.
While a certain measure of artistic licence was involved, a good deal of research went into adapting the script.
The original author herself took to the streets and shelters to witness the stories of teens trapped in a vicious cycle of sexual exploitation and prostitution.
“These girls are not what we expect them to be,” adds Mr Cabourdin. “People will expect prostitutes but, in reality, they’re going to find humans.
“These are girls who cultivate dreams of being lawyers, of becoming famous and of having a family. However, in order to get to their destination, something went crooked.”
He said that, as director, he ensured that the presentation of the piece refrained from passing judgement, insisting he wants the audience to draw its own conclusions.
What the play aims to accomplish is to dispel the belief that young girls end up involved in the industry because they want to.
“People running sex trafficking operations prey on the weak and the naïve, right at the point when the victims feel they have no other options,” said Mr Cabourdin. “In Malta we are less likely to see it with our children, but it does and is happening and, given the wrong situation, anyone could get involved.
“The words ‘I love you’, coming out of a pimp’s mouth, can turn into a convincing weapon when children have not experienced true love at home and feel abandoned and alone.
“Ultimately, we’re dealing with sex, using the currency of truth and selling it through dreams.”
Innocent Flesh opens at the Vault Theatre on the Valletta Waterfront on Saturday and will run for two weekends.
Tickets can be purchased from www.ticketline.com.mt or from the Embassy Cinema box office in Valletta, priced at €10 for the opening weekend (Saturday and Sunday) and €15 for the consecutive one (November 15-17).