CAMP CASEY -- More than 1300 Soldiers participated in "Sex Signals" at the Camp Casey Multipurpose Complex on Sept. 16 and 17.
The two-person team of Sharyon Culberson and Jack Reitz incorporated humor, improvisation and skits to entertain while they educated the interactive audience about sensitive topics such as appropriate dating, consensual sex and rape.
They performed six shows in two days with each class filled to capacity. Some Soldiers were turned away due to the lack of seating and had to come back hoping to catch the next performance.
Culberson and Reitz' interactions with the crowd had Soldiers laughing throughout the hour long presentation while teaching them the importance of recognizing, stepping in and protecting their fellow brothers and sisters in arms.
Catharsis Productions' mission statement is to reduce interpersonal violence by producing artistically innovative and researched supported programming that challenges oppressive attitudes, transforms behavior and inspires communities to create a world without violence.
The program was first developed to target students at colleges and universities across the U.S., but since then they have developed a relationship with every branch of the military. Specialized versions of "Sex Signals" are seen by every incoming Soldier while they attend basic training.
"It is a mandatory class that every new Soldier has to attend before they graduate from basic training," said Sgt. 1st Class Valorie Pasley, Area I's Sexual Assault Response Coordinator. "The skits are real and they are educational; it gives the Soldiers an opportunity to identify SHARP [Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program] related issues."
According to Culberson and Reitz, there are 26 teams of educators who travel all over the world teaching. They are scheduled to perform multiple times in each of the four areas on the Korean peninsula.
"This is my second time to come to Korea," said Culberson, who has been an educator for Catharsis Production for more than six years. "The first time was for the Air Force."
Since the creation by cofounders Christian Murphy and Gail Stern, PhD., the program has been seen by millions of people all over the world to include service members, college students and employees of corporations trying to make this world a better place.
"This is a human issue and not just for the military," said Reitz. "We do this so we can make it a safer world for everyone."
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