Union College News

New York City Theatre Comes to Union College
with a Message of "Hope"

She doesn't call her self a teacher, or a preacher. She says she's simply sharing.

Sharon Hope, a New York City actress has found an unusual way to share her message. She uses her stage experience and life experience to send a message to the many young people who come to see her one woman show. Born out of witnessing abusive relationships on the streets outside of her Brooklyn apartment, Hope adapts what she sees in the world around her into a message of--well-hope.

"I saw a young lady holding a baby standing in the streets outside my apartment and there was her boyfriend or husband beating her with his fists. She was begging and reminded him of the baby and when he asked her if she thought that he wouldn't hit the baby too, well that's when I knew that the level of abusive relationships all around me was worse than I thought," Hope said.

She went on to say that situations like these were everyday occurrences on the streets of Brooklyn and all over the United States.

To combat the cycle of abuse in the United States, Hope has developed a one woman show whose many different characters demonstrate ways women and men can recognize the signs that she says are always present when one is in a relationship that could become abusive or controlling. Hope feels that when person is in a relationship, they cannot always step back and actually witness behavior the same way that someone on the outside looking in can.

"When we women are in a relationship, we don't take time to commit to developing that relationship one step at a time. I share with my audience four steps to relationship development that must be followed in order. You can't jump from step one to step four and fully expect to be committed to seeing who that person really is."

Churches, middle and high schools, safe houses, rehab centers and of course, colleges and universities is where Hope shares this message best. She says that inevitably, when she asks her audiences if there were any signs that a relationship they were in would eventually become abusive, the answer is most always no. But when she really talks to people, begins engaging them in conversations about relationships, most people are able to acknowledge that the signs were there.

"Once you begin to talk things through, it becomes apparent that the signs were always there. People just didn't have the skills to recognize them. That's why I feel compelled to share these stories. I hope that something I have said, or something someone else has said well eventually leave enough of an impression that when confronted with a possible abuser, a woman or a man will be able to see and stop the relationship before it escalates."

Sharon has a dynamic stage presence that really engages and entertains the audience. She performed her first show at the Rector Little Theater, behind the Chapel on Union's campus Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. Her next performance is scheduled for Wednesday, April 6, 2005 in the same location also at 6:30 p.m. The show is free and open to the public. There is a question and answer session after the show and Hope says the floor is completely open.

Hope is the artistic director and founder of Slices of Life Productions. Her company's vision is to make audiences realize the need for divine intervention in life's decision making. She hopes to achieve this through spoken word performances of observations of life experiences.
In addition to her current work, Hope has an impressive list of theatrical accomplishments. Hope's one-woman show, Women I Have Known, was produced and performed at the John Houseman Theater Center in Manhattan. Other performances have toured New York City, some with accompanying workshops.

She has appeared in two different episodes of television-hit drama Law & Order, and in an episode of Against the Law. She has appeared on daytime television in an episode of Another World and on the television show Survival Kit for Parents.

In addition to her television performances, Hope has appeared in the films Little Senegal, One Crazy Summer with Demi Moore and Oreo's with Attitude.

She has also performed in off-Broadway productions, national theatre tours and in regional theatre performances.

April 5, 2005

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