BROKEN THE MUSICAL to Debut at Gilley's Dallas in Partnership with Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center, 7/25 - 8/17

"Broken the Musical" is a story about tragedy. And about justice. But most of all, it's a story about the power of the human spirit to overcome one of the most deeply personal and damaging events one can endure, rape.

With an original story by Monica Martino and music by Aaron Fryklund, Broken follows the path of Mona as she suffers a sexual assault and then grapples with repairing her shattered life. It's an inspirational story told through cutting-edge theater that stars up-and-coming local performers Molly Pope, Jonathan Hardin and a cast of talented actors, singers and dancers.

Martino was inspired to write Broken after hearing a news story about the loss of thousands of untested rape kits that were to be used as evidence in sexual assault cases.

"After hearing the news report about the lost rape kits I thought to myself, 'That's just not right,'" said Martino, executive producer of Broken. "Don't these perpetrators know that no means no? It was then that I came up with the 'No Means No Tango,' which turned out to be one of the leading performances in the musical. 'Strike A Chord' was also based on a poem that I previously wrote. The words for Broken just showed up; I channeled it."

A self-proclaimed "techie," Broken is the first musical Martino has written. In fact, Martino doesn't have any theater experience but is the CTO of local telecommunications company Accudata Technologies. With 13 patents bearing her name and 20 pending, Martino has been named a DBJ Top 25 Women to Watch and most recently an honoree of the inaugural North Texas Women in Technology Awards presented in partnership by the DBJ and TeXchange DFW.

Gilley's Dallas will host Broken from July 25-Aug. 17. The performance is the first musical the venue has held. Innovative in design, the Lone Star Room will be transformed into three stages. Actors will perform on each stage and amongst the audience.

The opening night of Broken will serve as a Black Tie Gala and charity event with 50 percent of ticket sales benefiting the Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center. The center's mission is to provide survivors and their loved ones the resources they need to reclaim their lives.

"Broken brings real issues facing our community to life through the theater. The musical is about healing after tremendous circumstances. It's also about educating viewers about the challenges sexual assault victims face within the judicial system," Martino said. "In Dallas alone, 4,000 rape kits have not been tested. Although conditions have improved during the last five years, it's still a major problem that needs to be addressed. For many, finding out the results of the test kits brings healing and closure to deep wounds."