BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Sharing real experiences of South Asian families dealing with domestic violence expressed through music, storytelling & dance“Loved all of it! Beautiful and wonderfully artistic. Dark themes but a celebration of our culture.”
– Audience Review
About the show
Behind Closed Doors is a grassroots production looking to remove the stigma around talking about domestic violence in South Asian communities.
It is a 60 minute piece that explores the different perspectives and impacts of domestic violence within a fictional South Asian family. These family members go on a journey through identifying and understanding the decisions they made in reaction to the violence they experienced. Recognising the impacts on themselves and their loved ones, emotional realisations are made. Behind Closed Doors uses the performing arts to reflect on these sensitive topics to create a safe space for the conversation without repercussions of judgment and shame.
Community centric approach
What makes Behind Closed Doors unique is the community centric approach we take to opening up conversations to around domestic violence.
- We prioritise safety with considered language and access to immediate help and counselling at all of our shows
- We prioritise inclusivity by designing and adapting our approach to work with community and cultural values, rather than against them
- We focus on the autonomy and agency of victims and survivors by using real stories, but told in a way of their choosing
All profits donated
For this show we fundraise to cover the production costs. This allows 100% of ticket sales for each show to be donated to The Indian Sub Continent Crisis and Support Agency (ICSA) who provide a range of crisis support services to the Australian South Asian community including domestic violence support.
Watch a trailer for the show below:
In the Media
Audience Feedback
It’s a performance that has a genuine capacity to influence change within South Asian communities and public debate more broadly.
Khushaal Vyas
May 16, 2022, SAARI Collective
...sparking conversations about raising awareness and taking action, free of judgment and shame.
Alicia Vrajlal
December 6, 2022, Refinery29
Domestic violence is not something that happens over night…it’s a pattern of behaviour that’s systematic and sustained.
Kittu Randhawa
April 2022, StuckinBetween Podcast
“It was brilliant, powerful, moving and so well-organised.”
“So glad to see notable Australian companies come forward to help support diverse community issues.”
“Loved the use of story to engage the audience and educate without information overload”
Outcomes to date
From over 50 attendees of Behind Closed Doors who completed a feedback form, we achieved the following outcomes:
Do you feel BCD achieved its objective of removing the stigma around talking about domestic violence in the South Asian community?
- Do you feel BCD achieved its objective of removing the stigma around talking about domestic violence in the South Asian community? 91%
Do you have a better understanding about the nuances of domestic violence within the South Asian community?
- Do you have a better understanding about the nuances of domestic violence within the South Asian community? 84%
Do you feel more informed about where to access of recommend culturally appropriate support for anyone experience domestic violence within the South Asian community?
- Do you feel more informed about where to access of recommend culturally appropriate support for anyone experience domestic violence within the South Asian community? 81%
What next?
With over 1.5m Australians with South Asian Ancestry, our goal is to take the show throughout Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne to reach as many people as we can to change the dialogue around domestic violence. To do this we need to raise $60,000 to cover our costs.
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