Kenyetta Lethridge’s heart-wrenching play, Innocent Flesh, hits the Maltese stage asking: are we doing enough to combat sex trafficking on our shores?

Directed by Marc Cabourdin and starring four of Malta’s finest, up-and-coming actresses -Nadia Vella, Tina Rizzo, Simone Alamango and Sarah Jane Mallia - TAC Theatre’s production of Innocent Flesh will open at the Vault Theatre, the Valletta Waterfront,on 9 November 2013.

Kenyetta Lethridge’s play was inspired by what she witnessed while working with young runaways on the streets, and tells of four girls who get offered everything in return for their innocence. The story takes the audience into the secret world of sex trafficking and a life of sex with strangers, rape, abortion, molestation and cries for help.

“It’s a must see for anyone who has a sister, a niece, a daughter or granddaughter,’ says Wesley Ellul, co-founder of TAC Theatre. “It is one of those stories that opens your eyes wide, dispelling the belief that young girls get involved in this industry because they want to.

“Innocent Flesh highlights the fact that the people who run human and sex trafficking operations prey on the weak and naïve, right when the victims have no other options. In Malta we are less likely to see it with our children, but it does and is happening and, given the wrong situation, anyone could get involved.”

The play has caused a furore wherever it has been played, affecting audiences greatly because of its harsh content and home truths. The New York Times, in fact, wrote that the script ‘will make you want to grab your daughters and tell them you love them.’

“Using both English and Maltese, the actresses transform themselves into a number of characters: from the young victims of the sex trade, to pimps, parents and police officers,” Mr Ellul continues to explain.“Combining these actresses with the powerful script and the visual and visceral direction of Marc Cabourdin, Innocent Flesh will surely be one of the theatrical pieces of the season!”

Founded by Wesley Ellul and Marc Cabourdin, TAC Theatre is the company behind some recent successes Is It Me, When You Hear My Voice and Venus in Fur.

Innocent Flesh will open at the Vault Theatre, the Valletta Waterfront, on 9 November 2013 and will run for five nights – 9 and 10 November, and from 15 to 17 November. Tickets can be purchased from www.ticketline.com.mt or from the Embassy Cinema box office in Valletta, priced at €10 for the opening weekend (9-10 November) and €15 for the consecutive one (15-17 November).