Sketchworks answers questions after performance
I felt I was well informed on the issue of domestic violence in the workplace. I knew the statistics. I knew the facts. My eyes were opened, however, to the insidiousness of intimate partner violence as I watched Sketchworks’ performance of “If Only You Knew.” Here is a synopsis:
The scene opens with Jane’s plea, “John, please. I said I was sorry. Just come to bed. Jane’s husband is furiously ransacking the bedroom in search of something he has lost. “You do things just to piss me off, don’t you?” he asks. John is mad tonight because his steak wasn’t prepared the way he likes. The alarm clock reads 11:00 p.m. Jane needs to get up early in the morning for work.
John finds what he is looking for – his gun. He threateningly waves it in the air, accusing his wife of being “too busy with [her] ‘work’ to take care of [her] husband.” In his violent rage, John rips up an important stack of Jane’s work documents. The scene ends with Jane in tears, crumpled on the floor, picking up the tiny shreds of her project. It is, now, 4 in the morning.
The next morning, Jane is late for work. Again. In the break room, her coworkers complain about Jane’s frequent tardiness and poor work performance. Samantha, the project manager, notes, “Why does her husband have to drop her off and pick her up all the time? If getting a ride was making you late this much, wouldn’t you just drive yourself? …Doesn’t she seem more and more scattered, lately?”
Tom, a sympathetic coworker, defends her. “We all have a lot of stuff going on. Work, home, it’s hard to keep it all balanced. She’ll come around,” he explains.
But Samantha isn’t convinced, “I can’t help but think there’s something going on…”
Jane finally arrives unprepared for an important deadline. Remember, John destroyed her documents the night before. Jane devises a convincing cover story, but her company still loses a valuable account. The second scene closes as Jane bolts out of a meeting to take a call from her husband.
The third and final scene begins in the break room with a group of Jane’s coworkers. It’s 9:30, and, again, Jane is late. Tom confesses that Jane has confided a secret to him: She is being abused by her husband. “There is good news,” Tom says, “she’s leaving John.”
Samantha admits, “Honestly, I’ve suspected as much. I’ve been on the verge of asking her a dozen times… but I was wary of overstepping my bounds.” Another coworker is not as understanding, saying that she is fed up with Jane’s poor performance.
Just then, Tom’s phone rings. “It’s Jane,” he says, relieved.
The group anxiously awaits the end of Tom’s call to hear the news. “Let me guess, she’s not coming in today,” gripes a coworker.
“Ok, thank you,” Tom stumbles and hangs up, “That was the police. They found my number in her phone as the last number she dialed before…”
“Before what?” they ask.
“Before… she died,” Tom says, stunned. Shocked, they scan each others’ faces for answers, but there are none. The lights fade.
This story of the loss of one woman’s life at the hand of her abusive partner is fictional, but, sadly, it portrays the grim reality of domestic violence homicides. On average, more than 3 women a day are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in the United States.*
“If Only You Knew” was written and performed by Sketchworks, an original sketch comedy troupe, as part of an innovative training at PADV’s 10th annual “When Domestic Violence Goes to Work” conference on April 28, 2011.
Now, suppose for a moment, you were one of the Jane’s coworkers in this story? Would you have recognized the warning signs?
- Absenteeism
- Tardiness/leaving early
- Frequent personal phone calls
- Performance decline
- Unexplained injuries, bruises or markings
- Change in personality
- Withdraw from coworkers
- Inappropriate use of clothing or make-up, like wearing a long-sleeve turtleneck in summer
If you were unsure about how you and your coworkers/employees would respond to the above scenario, consider inviting PADV to provide a Domestic Violence in the Workplace training. Email us at info@padv.org to set up an appointment today.
To learn more about Sketchwork’s regular comedy shows and customized corporate productions, visit http://www.sketchworkscomedy.com/.
*Catalano, Shannan. 2007. Intimate Partner Violence in the United States. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Brooklyn C.
Partnership Against Domestic Violence 