“Risk
Assessment”, a thought-provoking play written for the Edinburgh
Festival Fringe 2019 and performed by Cayman-based theatre group
Thespian & Proud, will make its debut in the Cayman Islands on
Saturday, 29 February at the National Cultural Foundation’s annual
Red Sky at Night festival. The 45-minute play explores difficult and
challenging themes such as feminism, stereotypes, misogynism,
motherhood, career prospects, rape, sexual harassment and domestic
abuse and the differing experiences of three separate women.

Written
by playwright, director, actress and Cayman resident, Kirsty Halliday
(who also goes by O’Sullivan), Risk Assessment is set against the
backdrop of a conference room where the three women are being taught
“How to Reduce the Risk of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace”.
During the session break, they discuss their very different
viewpoints, which leads to emotionally charged and occasionally
harrowing revelations.

The
play is very relevant and will resonate with audiences, particularly
in this post #MeToo era where the sexual harassment and assault of
women have come to the forefront. Ms. Halliday, who is also the
acting coach at the Prospect Playhouse, said it was written as a
“happy accident”.

“We were looking for a three-woman play originally, and found there weren’t many that worked for us as most we read either painted offensive stereotypes or featured two-dimensional characters,” she said. “This play covers topics that are meaningful to us, featuring characters we can relate to on some level. It can be harsh at points, and funny at others but it is honest throughout. We hope that it will get a larger discussion going, and help people understand why some people have the viewpoints they do.”

“We
are looking forward to having “Risk Assessment” performed at Red
Sky At Night. It will make audiences laugh in one moment and be
touched emotionally in the next. This is a clever way to handle such
sensitive issues and we expect audiences to come away enlightened,”
said Henry Muttoo, Artistic Director for the Cayman National Cultural
Foundation (CNCF).

“Risk
Assessment” is the featured theatre piece at this year’s Cayfest
and will be performed at Red Sky at Night in the Studio Theatre. The
play stars Emma Gladstone as Caroline, Kirsty Halliday as Lily, Agata
Kalicki as Jane and Andy Litwiller as Will.

Red
Sky At Night takes place on Saturday, 29 February on the grounds of
the Harquail Theatre from 4pm to midnight, and is sponsored by
Hurley’s Media, Pepsi, Compass Media, Radio Cayman, Walkers Global,
Island Heritage, Water Authority and Cayman Spirits.

TICKETS

Tickets
for Red Sky At Night are $15 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under
and $10 for seniors (65+) and students ages 13 to 17, and are
available for purchase online now at www.eventpro.ky.

For
more information about Cayfest, email cncf@artscayman.org, call
949.5477 or visit www.artscayman.org/cayfest.

The
Cayman National Cultural Foundation

For
more than 30 years, the non-profit Cayman National Cultural
Foundation has carried out its mission of stimulating, facilitating
and preserving Caymanian cultural and artistic expression. CNCF has
achieved this through the extensive development of wide-ranging
programmes. These programmes include stage productions, creative
education for young people, free workshops and financial support of
artists, as well as festivals, publications, national recognition of
artistic and cultural achievement and the preservation of Caymanian
heritage, and arts and culture for future generations.