How to Defend Yourself

Seven college students gather for a DIY self-defense workshop after a sorority sister is raped. They learn how to "not be a victim," how to use their bodies as weapons, how to fend off attackers. The form of self-defense becomes a channel for their rage, trauma, confusion, anxiety and desire - lots of desire. Challenged to determine what they want and how to ask for it, the students must ultimately face the insidious ways rape culture steals one's body and sense of belonging.

How to Defend Yourself premiered at Actors Theatre of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky on March 13, 2019, and was subsequently produced at Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago in January 2020. On February 22, 2023, the play made its off-Broadway premiere at New York Theatre Workshop. Co-directed by Rachel Chavkin, Liliana Padilla and Steph Paul, the production featured Amaya Braganza, Sebastian Delascasas, Jayson Lee, Ariana Mahallati, Teagan Meredith, Gabriela Ortega, Sarah Marie Rodriguez and Talia Ryder.