SLUT: The Play came to the Pleasantville campus last week, bringing with it discussions of sexual assault and the various ways that we as a society respond to it.

The play, which featured an all female cast, was produced by Assistant Director of Multicultural Affairs Rachel Simon, and directed by freshman Megan Brown. SLUT played four times in Kessel’s Gottesman Room between Tue., March 31, and Wed. April 1.

SLUT—written by Katie Cappiello and developed by The Arts Effect NYC—, which is rapidly gaining a cult following, chronicles the aftermath of its protagonist’s rape.

What starts out as a typical weekend night for 16-year-old Joey Del Marco quickly turns into a nightmare. After being sexually assaulted in the back of a cab by boys whom she’d considered her friends, Joey can’t escape judgmental looks at school, whispers behind her back, and somewhat accusatory questions from the authorities.

Although SLUT is a work of fiction, it is unfortunately realistic to how victims of sexual assault are treated. According to its website, SLUT aims to give a voice to this complex reality.

“People don’t realize that this is a very real and very serious problem,” senior education major Ashley Edwards said. “That’s why it’s pretty awesome that we got to show this to students at Pace. We were really hoping to open eyes to the problem of slut-shaming and why it’s actually harmful.”

Pace is not the only university showing SLUT this year. So far, 10 schools around the country, including MIT, Harvard, North Dakota State University, and the University of Montana, have joined the Stop Slut Campus Coalition and are producing renditions of the poignant play on their own campuses.

Overall, student attendance to the play was strong in numbers, especially the night performances, which were full houses. Responses to SLUT have been strong with many stating awe or disbelief at the treatment that assault victims may face when coming forward.

“I didn’t know that it was such a problem on university campuses,” junior English major Richie Dansky said. “However, this play was a tangible and comprehensive way of addressing a very real and serious problem to those who aren’t aware and weren’t even looking.”

While the showings of SLUT may be over, there is hope that this play may have sparked ideas and realizations among students at Pace.

Freshman Chelsea Almeida, a part of the cast, offered her own hope for the future, “I want people to feel safe and empowered enough that, if something like this ever happened, speaking up will bring them support and help rather then a bad reputation.”

WPAW, Sigma Lambda Upsilon, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Diversity Programs cosponsored the play.