Woman/Girl
This
three-act surrealistic play opens as Ruth confronts her daughter, Sabrina, with
questions about being sexually involved.
Sabrina, age 15, resists her mother’s interrogation. The Woman in Shadow, a black-clad being who
personifies American culture throughout the play, makes catcalls and describes
“feminine charms” from her upstage position, balancing out the style of realism
in the interactive scenes between Ruth, Sabrina, and their friends. By the end of the first scene, Ruth airs her
deepest suspicion and Sabrina unconsciously confirms it: Sabrina is dating 33-year-old Kate, the
sister of Ruth’s best friend Judy.
Ruth’s first move is to seek answers from the astonished Judy. Ruth hopes to end the relationship without involving the authorities, for the sake of both her daughter and her friend. In each act, Ruth approaches the situation in a different way. In Act I, she defines the relationship as one of child abuse, a label which Sabrina vehemently denies. By Act II, Ruth believes the relationship is financial, where Sabrina participates voluntarily in order to receive gifts. Meanwhile, Sabrina is convinced that her mother merely opposes her choice of a female partner, and that the oppression she suffers is coming from her mother, not her adult girlfriend.
It is in Act III that Ruth’s strategy comes together with Judy’s advice: while Ruth now views the relationship as a consensual one in which dominance and submission, rather than money, are exchanged, she decides that if she can’t end the relationship, she will try to become solidly involved in it. But Kate resists this intrusion, despite Ruth’s legal threats. Meanwhile, Judy persuades Sabrina to try again to arrange a meeting between Kate and Ruth, a meeting that leads to a failed attempt at reconciliation between all four characters. Despite the new understandings gained by all, Ruth’s proposed restrictions collide with Sabrina’s drive for freedom, and together they place everyone in the same mode of secrecy as when the play began.
Play Structure: |
3 Acts: Act I, 8 scenes; Act II, 8 scenes; Act III, 5 scenes; Epilogue |
Cast size: |
5 |
Gender: |
All female |
Period: |
Late 1990’s |
Location: |
Any west coast town. |
Set: |
An empty stage with sparse
utilitarian furniture, such as folding chairs. A table upstage with gavel is needed for
the Woman in Shadow. |
Technical: |
Lighting crossfades
should signal change of scenes within acts.
A screen upstage should accommodate video and overhead
projection. Various sound effects. |
Production History
Woman/Girl received its premiere production by The
Experimental Theatre Project (White Cat Productions) at the Richard Hugo House
Theatre in |
Kate |
Linnet Blumenthal |
Sabrina |
Cherilynn Brooks |
Ruth |
Christine White |
Judy |
Danielle Reierson |
Woman in Shadow |
Eileen Fix |
Assistant Director |
Craig Ackermann |
Choreographer |
Mishabae Edmond |
Costume Designer |
Jennessa Richert |
Set Designer |
Katie Lawrence |
Props Designer |
Sunny Giron |
Lighting Designer |
Bruce Wheelock |
Sound Designer |
Moe Smith |
Light Operator |
Bruce Wheelock |
Sound Operator |
Michael Mowery |
Stage Manager |
Steve Cooper |
Production Team |
Amanda Askea Michael Mowery |
Poster Design/ Photography |
Ken Holmes |
House Manager |
Amy Hartwell |