Our World 1 in 4-3“There is no greater agony, than to bear an untold story inside me… he took my virginity… he was my hero… I was raped by my grandfather…” Those were some of the words that captivated the student audience at the San Pedro High School (SPHS) as the play “Our World – 1 in 4” written by retired US college professor and playwright Larry Heimgartner was presented. Trained actresses Sarah Mackenzie of Scotland and Katie Emma Hughes of England, along with four students of SPHS managed to bring across the stories of sexual abuse and rape to the attentive audience of students from the beginning to the end of the play.

Heimgartner taught theater and film at the Los Angeles Harbor College, California USA for 40 years, and after retiring now dedicates his time to taking plays to different parts of the world. Since 1970, Heimgartner has written several plays on topics that continue to negatively impact the global society and for over 12 years he has brought some of those plays to San Pedro Town.

According to multiple global statistics, one in every four females and one in every six males are sexually abused before the age of 18 years. 90% of the times, these sexually abused victims know the perpetrator and 68% are committed by family members. Heimgartner explained that his play “Our World – 1 in 4” paints the inner world and focuses on the “one” in that alarming statistic and in this case features the lives of female rape victims. “The information we are sharing is actually truthful, just that it is not the story of the individuals who are portraying it,” he explained.

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