A Surrey teen plays a part in the Vancouver debut of “Girls Like That,” an award-winning play about a girl at the centre of a social-media storm.
“What would you do if a naked photograph of you went viral and you couldn’t stop it, couldn’t stop the rumours from going wild, and everyone formed an opinion of you based on that photo?” reads a show description from Shameless Hussy Productions.
In Canadian-British playwright Evan Placey’s script, Scarlett chooses to stay silent, “leading to an unexpected, but expectedly, dramatic conclusion.”
A Renée Iaci-directed version of the play will be staged at Vancouver’s Templeton Secondary from Nov. 2 to 10, in collaboration with the school’s Dream Big Productions and Girls in Leadership club.
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Shameless Hussy Productions has long been known for theatre productions that tell “provocative stories about women to inspire the hand that rocks the cradle to rock the world.”
In its “Girls Like That,” performers include Isabella Tecson, a Grade 12 student at Kwantlen Park Secondary. Her past productions include “Welcome to Smalltown,” in which she acted as a writer and played Mia, and work as prop co-ordinator for a version of “Forever Plaid,” with Vegabond Players.
“A improv and stand-up comedy neophyte, her influences include Robin Williams, Andrew Rannells and her drama teacher, Ms. Brazzill,” according to a bio from Shameless Hussy. “Isabella hopes to pursue a career in acting if she does not turn into a mermaid in the next few years.”
Each performance of “Girls Like That” will be followed by a Q&A session with those involved in the show.
In Britain, the play was developed through work with young people from three theatre companies, and was first performed by their youth theatre companies in 2013.
“Its central message rings loud and clear: women’s internalized misogyny has usurped the efforts of men in the maintenance of female oppression,” Shameless Hussy states.
“With five explosive musical ensemble numbers, ‘Girls Like That’ tackles a contemporary subject in a theatrically exciting way, exploring gender equality, self-image, friendship and the pressures on today’s digital generation.”
Show tickets are $10 via eventbrite.com, or visit shamelesshussy.com.
In addition to Tecson, performers in the show include Alison Moreau, Raquel Francis, Chloe Bray, Savannah Read, Sophia McKinley, Louise Cove, Jasmine McRae, Sasha Cription-Ingles and Claire Dooley.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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