Skip to main content
We're in the news!

Educator Profile: Courtney Abbott

September 21, 2016

Today we want to introduce you one of our senior educators: Courtney Abbott. Courtney has been a part of Catharsis Productions since 2005, presenting Sex Signals, Got Your Back, The Hook Up, and Beat The Blame Game. Her work with Catharsis has taken her to all fifty states and a dozen foreign nations. 

CP: How long have you worked at Catharsis Productions?

Courtney: I was hired in the spring of 2005. I was barely a year out of college, acting and bartending here in Chicago, and I still remember when Christian called to offer me the gig with Sex Signals. I don’t think I’d ever been that excited to get a phone call in my entire life! 

 

CP: What is your favorite part about working at Catharsis Productions? Courtney:My coworkers. They are brilliant, funny, talented people who all want to make the world a better place.

 

CP: What is a common misconception students/people have about the topics you teach?

Courtney: Some people still assume, when I say I teach sexual assault prevention, that I teach self-defense tactics. It’s sad how comfortable many people are in placing the burden of preventing crime on the most vulnerable members of society.

 

CP: Tell us something new that you have learned since you’ve been working as an educator for Catharsis Productions:

Courtney: Well, I’ve worked here for a third of my life, so there’s been a lot of learning in that time! I’ve learned how to steal a joke and make it my own, I’ve learned to compassionately interrogate my own beliefs and help others to do the same, and I’ve gotten to visit so many wonderful places — I never knew there were islands in the middle of the Atlantic until I went to the Azores to perform for the Air Force!

 

CP: What’s most surprising to you about your work as an educator?

Courtney: I’m surprised at how much I continue to love to travel. I always expected I’d get tired of it at some point, but I still enjoy finding new experiences out on the road. Recently I’ve been making a point of visiting state and national parkland, and just a week ago, my show partner and I stumbled upon the Model-T Ford Museum in Richmond, IN. The entrance fee was $3 and it was completely delightful.

 

CP: Any curious facts about you?

Courtney: When I was a kid, I used to perform elaborate magic shows for my family, and my ‘stage’ name was The Amazing Jennifer.

Catharsis Productions

Catharsis Productions' mission is to change the world by producing innovative, accessible and 
research-supported programming that challenges oppressive attitudes and shifts behavior.