Every year millions of women and children around the world are trafficked and trapped in sexual exploitation. Using stories of real survivors, Out of Darkness presented by the Just Be Collective, follows the emotional journey of Alice as she is trafficked into sexual exploitation and then rescued and restored to find her way back to freedom.

Lead actress and creator Jess Brownell plays Alice, while James Bayliss plays multiple and contrasting male roles. Ivan Palezevic accompanies the physical theatre performance with narration and Alida Steemson directs.

The convincing movements from the leads almost tell the story alone as you’re instantly taken in by confronting scenes of Alice’s life, a credit to Jess and James for their expressive performances. The sound and lighting defines the scene and mood changes, while the narration gives further context to the story as it unfolds.

Out of Darkness tells a story of salvation, but the Just Be Collective acknowledges that it’s not the reality for most of the women and children trapped in the sex trade and will be donating all proceeds from the premier season to Destiny Rescue. A nice touch as the performance will leave you wondering what you can do to help.

Out of Darkness is on at BATS Theatre from 10-13 Feb as part of the Fringe Festival.