Cara Corrigan: Thriving Through Theatre

CONTENT WARNING: RAPE/SEXUAL ASSAULT.

At first glance, Cara Corrigan looks just like any other American college senior. The spunky redhead spends her days in Philadelphia working on assignments for her major in musical theatre, following her passion for acting, and laughing with her friends.

It does not come as a surprise that the 21-year-old has had a “Me Too” experience- most girls her age have experienced some form of sexual assault or harassment. But what Cara has done with her experience is what makes her extraordinary.

In the summer of 2017, Cara was living every college kid’s dream, traveling around Europe. A quick glance down her Instagram page reveals picture after picture of her in beautiful locations with a huge grin on her face. Behind the photos of her smiling broadly and doing the splits on the Cliffs of Moher, there was darkness waiting in Ireland.

I meet with Cara over FaceTime on a Wednesday before her first class at University of the Arts Philadelphia. As we discuss her experience, she is remarkably composed. She describes her trip through Europe and meeting her now-boyfriend, Paul Stirrat. “We were supposed to go on one date, and we just kind of kept going,” she says. The two parted ways when she traveled on to Ireland. She tells me this, then states matter-of-factly, “The first night I was there, I was raped.”

“I was a hot mess,” she admits, calm but not detached. “It was really hard to leave my hostel, so I didn’t leave for a couple days. I was a nervous wreck.” It has been over a year since her assault and she still doesn’t know whether or not her case will go to court.

“I think the hardest thing for me was seeing news articles after the fact,” she says. Cara’s assault came just before the “Me Too” movement that spread like wildfire across social media. Suddenly, women across the world were sharing stories of assault, harassment, and rape. The lines of communication began to open up regarding post-traumatic stress disorder after rape, the prevalence of what many considered “minor” instances of harassment, and more. A window was opened on the world that women live in daily.

Upon hearing what had happened, Paul flew over to join Cara in Ireland. When she flew home to the United States, she began to think. “It was an interesting story, and I realized a lot of stuff about rape culture- and I wanted to show that in a show.”

The show she’s talking about became Puffin Island, a two-person play which premiered at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in the summer of 2018. It stars Cara and Paul, and follows them through their love story, Cara’s assault, and the aftermath of the devastating event.

“I feel like it was [exposure therapy] for me,” she says of the writing process. “I’ve definitely had a lot fewer panic episodes, and I don’t have nightmares as much. I’m just so much better than I was last year.”

But she didn’t stop there.

Living in Philadelphia comes with many hazards, not the least of which is the catcalling endured on a typical walk home from class. Rather than put up with the calls of “Hey baby, give me a smile!” flying at her from both sides of the street, she decided she’d had enough.

The first man to receive one of the cards with “Hey! Give me a call. 267-603-1172” was probably thrilled. Finally, years of shouting obscene comments at women had paid off. But instead of a woman happy to talk to him, upon dialing the number he heard Cara’s voice in his ear. “Hello!” the message begins cheerfully. “You received this number because you made someone feel unsafe by catcalling them.”

The message goes on to explain why catcalling is not flattering, informing the caller that yelling, whistling, and staring at women makes them feel violated and afraid. “It’s really an everyday thing for most students here,” Cara tells me during our interview. “When I first came out with the hotline, a news station did a story about it and talked to some people on the street, including a 14-year-old. This 14-year-old has been getting it all the time since she was 12.” The hotline enables women to take a stand against catcalling without putting themselves in danger.

What’s next for Cara? Her graduation from the University of the Arts is rapidly approaching, meaning she’ll be taking her passion for musical theatre out into the “real world.” Keep an eye out for her, because with the heart of a survivor and enough determination to light the world on fire, there’s no doubt you’ll be hearing big things from Cara Corrigan.

You can follow Cara on Instagram at @theatreginger, or Twitter at @cara_corrigan. Puffin Island’s official Twitter is @puffinislplay.

If you are the victim of sexual assault, call Rape Crisis on 0808 802 9999.