Emerson Theatre Collaborative’s 18th season opens with “Silence Is Not Golden,” by Anita Yellin Simons. The production aims to raise awareness about sexual and domestic violence and will be staged at Verde Valley School’s Brady Hall, 3511 Verde Valley School Rd. Performances are Friday and Saturday, Sept. 12 and 13, at 7 p.m., with a Sunday, Sept. 14, performance at 2 p.m., followed by a free community symposium.

‘Silence is Not Golden’

“Before the days of Phil Donahue or Oprah, no one talked about domestic abuse or self-esteem — it was a private and embar­rassing subject,” ETC synopsis reads.

Linda [Audrey Young], a young newlywed, is so in love with her husband Larry [Joel Austin] that she believes him when he tells her everything is her fault. The two of them are back in their home state of Ohio, but Linda has no friends and no one to talk to since her family moved to California. Each time there is an ‘incident’ she continues to stand by her man and wait for a better day. What other choice does she have? Finally, she reaches her limit and fights back. But at what cost to her?

Jake Monson and Joel Diggs play Officers Wilson and Smith, respectively, Kandy Kapelle plays Judi. Annie Thomas is Linda’s understudy. Sean Spencer, Sarah Woods, Ginny Burkitt, Terra Shelman and Craig Schneider are on the stage crew.

“Silence is Not Golden” is brought to the stage through a partnership with the Verde Valley Sanctuary who is also receiving the event’s proceeds, Arizona Community Foundation of Sedona and the city of Sedona’s Small Grant Program with provided ETC $15,000 during 2025’s grant cycle.

Kelly Paduchowski

The production is dedi­cated to Flagstaff resi­dent Kelly Paduchowski, who was first reported missing on June 30, 2024 by her husband Daniel Paduchowski. During its investigation, the Flagstaff Police Department arrested Daniel Paduchowski on suspicion of aggravated assault of Kelly.

Daniel Paduchowski admitted July 5, 2024, to killing the 45-year-old. He was subsequently sentenced Oct. 18, 2024, to 16 years in prison as part of his guilty plea to second-degree murder.

Some of Kelly’s family members will be addressing the audience during the Friday performance.

Domestic Violence

Due to the subject matter and some physical moments in the production, Co-Director Camilla Ross said she recommends the audience be ages 14 and up to attend.

“Me, being a survivor of such, you have to learn how to heal from it,” Ross said is how she is able to put together a produc­tion with such a heavy subject matter. “Once you learn how to heal from it, you sort of find the open doorway for compassion to be able to tell the story. That’s something that I think a lot of people have to understand. It’s never an easy way to do it, but once you’ve been through it, you find the compassion to be able to tell the story.”

Simons, a survivor of domestic violence, wrote this play based on her lived experience and her desire to share it in support of VVS’ mission.

“I wasn’t as smart as Linda,” Simons said. “Linda, this character, actually leaves, and I didn’t until I was forced to.

“I want it to be more positive than what I expe­rienced, so that people can learn that there is a way out, that you can do something about it. I hope the audience has a better understanding of what domestic abuse is and how it affects people and why they do need to talk to someone and why they need to make a change. It’s a hard thing to do.”

Symposium

Following the Friday and Saturday shows will be a question and answer session, and after the Sunday performance is an hour long symposium comprised of a 40 minute presentation and 20 minute audience Q&A.

Rev. Elizabeth LeMaster of Sedona United Methodist Church, a counselor and representatives from the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, VVS, Sedona Police Department and other community partners are likely to be added. The symposium is free.

“The symposium is to inform and educate people to provide resources and support for victims or survi­vors of domestic violence, to help foster discussions … and then also some a bit on legal rights and what services are available,” LeMaster said.

There are many signs of domestic abuse including emotional, financial, sexual and physical control. Some of the warning signs include insults, monitoring a person’s movements or communications, isolating from outside professional or personal connections, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“While my husband at the time was not normally a violent man, I came to realize quickly that he was an abuser. His abuse of alcohol and his constant verbal abuse were often more than I could take,” survivor Sheri Winter wrote in a testimonial. “But I hung in there. My religious convictions and sanctity of the vows I had taken made me stay. The most compel­ling reason for not getting out sooner was the concept that I could change him. That somehow by seeing the life I chose being a caring mother, dedicated employee, church volun­teer and outwardly happy person, he would want to do the right thing too.”

After her husband had choked her, Winter said she was left to ask herself “How did I get here?” while sitting in a police station interview with her two children. Winter got a restraining order and her separation papers with the help of Safe Futures, a women’s shelter in Connecticut.

However, Winter said she found happiness for herself and her daughters 10 years removed from her marriage.

“My story was diffi­cult, but certainly pales in comparison to what the folks at Safe Futures have to encounter every day and not everyone can talk about it,” Winter said. “I certainly still can’t go into all the details even 10 years later, but that’s a good thing. That means there’s been some healing. I don’t have to go there anymore. I am free to love and be loved and that’s just about all you can ask for on this life’s journey.”

“‘Silence is Not Golden’ is a positive story about a horrible thing that is still continuing to happen, mainly to women. It happens to men, too,” Simon said. “[People] need to know the signs and what they can do. I hope that they would at least seek out [VVS] to get the help that they need. There’s a lot of denial in domestic abuse, and usually it’s hard for other people to spot it, so it is very silent other than the two people that it’s happening to. The other side of that is some great acting … they’ve only just started rehearsals, and I’m blown away.”

Visit emersonthe­atercollaborative.org or VerdeValleySanctuary.org or call (860) 705-9711 for more information and tickets. For Sheri Winter’s full testimonial, visit the online version of this story at redrocknews.com.