Shattered

Exposing the Open Secret of the Children's Theatre Scandal

De: Laura Stearns

Narrado por: Laura Stearns

John Clark Donahue was considered a brilliant but difficult artistic genius in American theater in the 1970s and '80s. His theater, the Children’s Theatre Company and School (CTC), rose to the heights of critical acclaim. It was also the home to more than two dozen sexual perpetrators. In 1984, Donahue’s arrest for sexually abusing male students threatened to close the theater’s curtains for good. The theater endured, and the full truth of what was happening behind the scenes was swept under the rug, until now.

Laura Stearns’ memoir follows her process of coming to terms with experiencing childhood sexual violence at CTC, of recognizing the depth of harm from a complicit culture that allowed child abuse at the theater to go unchecked for decades, and her journey of growing beyond trauma to a place of strength. She does so with unflinching honesty, lighthearted compassion, and a healthy dose of trauma-informed education.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Calumet Editions (P)2022 Calumet Editions

An important but difficult book.

Shattered is the accurate title of the journey written/narrated by Laura Sterns. She tells of her sexual assault at Children's Theatre in Minneapolis. The reader is often reminded to take breaks to process the story, and a tone warns you when graphic info is being presented. You will hear every emotion experienced by Laura. The book may be difficult to finish. But try.

Brave and vulnerable af

Steams’ account of a culture of sexual abuse at the Children’s Theater in Minneapolis is stunning, powerful, necessary and healing. I learned a lot of things I never wanted to know. My eyes are opened wider to my city and the ways we participate in a culture that allows such harm to happen and I am inspired by the ways accountability and change have happened. Stearns’ willingness to share the intimate details of her story is a profound gift to us all.