While the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church has been in the headlines for years now, and the Church hierarchy and abusive priests are finally being held to account, the devastating effects on victims, their families, and others who have trusted the Church have rarely been brought to light. TRUST, a powerful new play by John Woehrle, seeks to fill that void by bringing one victim's story to life.

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John developed TRUST in Minneapolis with the Self-Reliant Actors Workshop he founded. One workshop actor inspired the story, and four others inspired the roles they will be playing on stage in the play's premier.

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The play tells the story of a Catholic college senior, Michael, who must come to terms with the sexual abuse he endured as a child by a trusted priest, who is also a close family friend. Michael thought he had escaped his past when he went away to college, but as graduation day approaches, his past catches up to him. His world begins to fall apart as it becomes increasingly difficult for him to maintain the divide between memories of past trauma and the normalcy he thought he had successfully built.

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TRUST gives voice to the victims and their families and portrays the Catholic Church's profoundly negligent and scandalous response to the issue.  At the same time the play demonstrates the courage and love of those within the church and outside who put compassion and healing ahead of personal gain and institutional reputation. We have shared the script with local members of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) who are very excited about TRUST and its potential to serve as an "intervention" for victims of clergy abuse.

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To Learn more about the Production of Trust, visit the Trust Facebook page. We look forward to seeing you in attendance.