REVIEW: “You Can See All the Stars” compassionately addresses sexual assault on college campuses

After the play initially raises the question of what happened to Ana, Ana tells her boyfriend Kevin about the attack in a conversation offstage. At this point in the play, Ana is only alluding to a traumatic event and does not yet call it rape. Like Ana and Kevin, the audience doesn’t yet have a complete picture of Ana’s experience.

The inclusion of off-screen dialogue shows that Ana’s trauma does not need to be shown on stage for viewers to understand what happened to her. When you see the mental impact of the event, you can understand that the attack leaves an emotional scar for Ana. Having Ana and Kevin’s conversation take place offstage is also an effective way to shift the narrative of Ana’s story from what happened to her to how she moves forward after the assault.

The scene switches back to the stage as Kevin urges Ana to tell her story to the police. Ana refuses, but agrees to tell campus authorities what happened to her.

Ana then speaks directly to the audience and tells her story to the school. Senior theater major Mollie Goldberg, who plays Ana, looks out into the crowd as she delivers her lines. Breaking the fourth wall is surprising, yet this technique works given the personal nature of discussing sexual assault. For a moment, the audience became another character to whom Ana told her story.

As the play progresses, Ana becomes a social outsider. Her classmates and classmates shun her for speaking out and care more about Ana’s attacker, the school’s quarterback Jesse, sitting on the bench, than about Ana’s well-being. Ana’s struggle to support others was particularly frustrating given how difficult it is for many victims to talk about their experiences of sexual violence because they are ashamed or afraid of being judged.

The audience soon went into a frenzy after Ana’s classmate Kim refused to acknowledge Ana’s attack. Through Goldberg’s atmospheric performance, we sense the betrayal and loneliness that Ana has experienced since the beginning of the play.

Even though Kim is an unlikeable character, my anger towards her turns to understanding when she addresses the audience and reveals the betrayal she ultimately feels at the hands of Jesse’s actions. Characters like Kim seem real because of their changing perspectives – there are no one-dimensional villains.

Although not a detailed scene, the play also shows the legal side of Ana’s search for justice. When the district attorney drops Ana’s case for lack of evidence, my heart breaks because Ana’s hope for justice is lost. Goldberg’s emotional speech made it clear how devastating this legal rejection is for Ana. I could hear the actress’ voice shaking and see her hands shaking from my seat.

The story reaches its climax when Ana stands on the edge of her dormitory roof, frustrated and tired by the lack of support from those around her. Although it is never said out loud, the piece makes clear what could happen if no one intervenes.

“You Can See All the Stars” is not an easy film. The piece gets to the heart of what many college students go through while emphasizing the importance of speaking out against sexual violence and being there for all victims, including strangers.

In the final monologue of the play, Ana admits how difficult this process was. She says justice ultimately won’t change everything, especially the emotional consequences she has faced and will continue to face. But at the same time, her search for justice motivates her to keep going. It gives her a reason to stay.

For more information about UP’s Title IX resources, click here. A list of confidential Title IX advocates can be found here.

Samantha Zavala is a reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at [email protected]