El Museo del Barrio New York

Secret Survivors is now sold out. You can sign up for the online waiting list now, or join the waiting list in-person at El Museo del Barrio starting at 6:30pm the day of the performance. Patrons registered for the waiting list will be seated as availability allows, on a first come first served basis.

Written and directed by Sara Zatz, Secret Survivors is an interview-based theater project featuring adult survivors of child sexual abuse telling their personal stories on stage. Due to social taboos, very few survivors ever share their stories publicly. The majority of them never report their abuse to state authorities, and many never tell anyone at all. Secret Survivors seeks to use direct personal narrative to show that this violence is epidemic, to represent the diverse ways it occurs, and grapple with the many reasons that most survivors remain silent.  The performance will be followed by a conversation with the director and cast members.

Secret Survivors is part of the Undesirable Elements series of community-specific oral history theater works by Ping Chong & Company, an award-winning theater company based in New York City. Since 1992, Ping Chong & Company has produced over 40 theater works in communities across the United States and abroad. These plays explore themes as far ranging as immigration, disability, Native American identity, Asian American identity, and the experiences of refugees in the U.S.

For additional information, visit www.undesirableelements.org and www.secretsurvivors.org.

NOTE: Secret Survivors is performed by real people, not actors. Although not explicit, it does contain intense personal testimony of child sexual abuse. Audience members who have experienced trauma or whose loved ones have experienced trauma may find it difficult to watch. Not recommended for children under 12. Counseling services and additional resources will be available during and immediately after the performance.

This spring season, El Museo showcases an array of spectacular presentations that feature all areas of performing arts at our beautiful El Teatro.