“Well, well, well. Y’all don’t recognize me, do you? That’s the story of my life. Everybody is always pretending they don't know who I am.”
With those words, Domestic Violence rises from a seat among the attendees, interrupts the program, and takes over the room.
In this powerful and unforgettable one-woman show, Wambui Bahati becomes Domestic Violence itself—bold, arrogant, and confident that no one will stop it. Moving through the audience and onto the stage, she transforms into the many people touched by abuse: a child, a mother, a father, an older adult, a concerned coworker, and others who see what is happening but may not understand how to respond.
At the end of the performance, Domestic Violence leaves the room with a chilling challenge: “I can go anywhere. Who is going to stop me?”
Wambui then returns as herself for the workshop portion of the program. Using each character and costume, she reveals what was really happening beneath the surface, explores warning signs and possible interventions, and opens an honest conversation about what individuals and communities can do.
Drawing from her own experience, Wambui also shares a message too often left out of conversations about abuse: There is life after domestic violence.
*I Am Domestic Violence* does more than present information. It allows audiences to see domestic violence, hear it, confront it, and ask themselves: Now that we recognize it, what are we going to do?
