FringeNYC 2013: SLUT
Joey Del Marco. SIXTEEEN. Pre-gaming. Empty ABSOLUT bottle. Luke, GEORGE, Tim. Back of a CAB. RIPPED underwear. HANDS everywhere. NO! Through the eyes of NYC teen girls, FACE the choices and EXPERIENCE the fallout from ONE life-altering Friday night.
Official production websiteShow details/ticketing at FringeNYC
Review by Martin Denton · August 19, 2013
SLUT is a new play by Katie Cappiello, developed by The Arts Effect All-Girl Theater Company, a group whose work has appeared in FringeNYC very successfully in the past. Directed by Cappiello and Meg McInerney, it's an astonishingly professional piece, considering that their collaborators—and all of the actors in the play—are young women aged 15-17. Particular kudos to Winnifred Bonjean-Alpart, the 16-year-old Brooklyn high school student who takes the lead; she is onstage for the entire length of the play and is given some formidable, even harrowing dialogue to deliver. She seems well-equipped to pursue an acting career in the future, should she so choose.
The play concerns a 16-year-old named Joanna (Joey to her friends). One night, she goes to a party with several of her peers, and on a cab ride on the way from that party to another stop, she is sexually assaulted by a pair of teenage boys. She presses charges, but as too often happens she becomes branded as the guilty one. It doesn't help that she's a member of a dance team at school known as the "Slut Squad"; the sobriquet that gives the play its name, a word that's supposed to be empowering for her and her peers, comes back to slap her right in the face. Hard.
The issues presented in the play are disturbing and pervasive. Why are boys (and men) not taught to respect women? Why does anyone ever think "no" means "yes"? How can people manage their privacy in the age of Facebook and Twitter? A note in the program says,
Our goal in creating and producing SLUT is to expose the damaging language, scarily subtle nuance, and sexual attitudes that fuel slut culture....We are determined to artistically ignite a serious conversation among teens, parents, educators...everyone, really!...about the effects of all things "slut" on the creative, emotional, and physical lives of girls and boys.
All of the characters we meet in SLUT are teenage girls. I wonder if the conversation would be enhanced by the addition of some boys and some adults of both sexes on stage. I know that a goal of this company is to give voice to the young women it serves, but this topic is way too big to limit discussion. The root causes need to be explored and shared, and they include everything from the way we teach kids about sex (in school, at home, in the media) to the free access that too many privileged children seem to have to stuff that many adults can't be trusted to handle responsibly—stuff like drugs, alcohol, and even loaded language. (These young women use the "f" word about as much as the real estate brokers in Glengarry Glen Ross.) SLUT focuses on just a couple of perspectives: Joey's (essentially the victim here, with no apparent way out) and her friends', none of whom seem to come to her aid. I'd have loved to see additional points of view represented here, particularly that of an adult woman who had gone through some of what Joey goes through, yet emerged strong and in control after that experience. That would be a truly empowering lesson for all of us.
Preview: Interviews with Artists from SLUT
We're asking artists from each show to answer questions about themselves and their work to help our readers get a detailed advance picture of the festival:
All About My Show · Katie Cappiello (Writer)
- Complete this sentence: My show is the only one in FringeNYC that...?
Examines the intense impact slut-shaming and slut culture through the eyes of real 14-17 year-old NYC girls. - What do you think this show is about? What will audiences take away with them after seeing it?
SLUT is about a complex and damaging 4-letter word we’ve ALL used at some point in our lives. Through the story of Joey Del Marco – a 16-year-old girl who is sexually assaulted during a night out with her friends – audiences will experience the effects of slut-shaming and the price of seeking justice. The iconic Gloria Steinem is not only a hero of ours, she’s also a fan of the play – I think she sums up perfectly what we hope audiences will take away from this piece: “Truthful, raw and immediate! See this play and witness what American young women live with everyday.” - Why did you want to write this show?
My co-director Meg McInerney and I have been working with an amazing group of girls for the past 7 years. In that time, our classroom has been a place where they share their experiences and explore their world through theater. Over the past year, we were struck by the prevalence of all things “slut” in their lives. The girls, now 14-17, used the word to describe themselves and others; as a badge of honor and the scarlet letter; as the barometer of female sexuality. In fact, A THRID of the girls revealed they’d actually been slut-shamed after experiences of sexual aggression or assault. This was definitely a topic demanding attention! And then the Steubenville case broke, and the rapes in India and Cairo were all over the news, followed by the tragic suicides of Audrie Pott and Rehtaeh Parsons – teen girls who had been raped, then brutally slut-shamed. I wanted to write this play because the voices of girls living these experiences are voices we NEVER get to hear. We wanted to create something LIVE – something viewers couldn’t turn away from, turn off, log out of, minimize, or mute. We wanted living, breathing girls to stand up, shine a light on this all-too-common reality, and dare audience members to recognized their role in it all. - Who are some of the people who helped you create this show, and what were their important contributions to the finished product?
The girls! The girls! Their stories, insights, and talents inspired this piece and their brilliant acting is going to bring it to life this August! The wonderfully supportive families of the girls who help with everything from script development to fundraising to carpooling to moral support when we take on controversial issues such as “slut.” My inspiring, gifted partner-in-crime Meg McInerney. She contributes to everything in every way and is the best co-director/producer around – the Good Cop to my Bad Cop...and vice versa! Evenstar Productions for believing in this play and making this Fringe Festival run a possibility. Grant MacDonald and Gemma Kaneko – their brilliant designs always bring such texture to our pieces. - Which character from a Shakespeare play would like your show the best: King Lear, Puck, Rosalind, or Lady Macbeth -- and why?
Rosalind! She’s young, female, super smart, and quick-witted...and I have no doubt she would relate to the subject matter. She knows what girls are up against! Rosalind is also a leader – someone who stays true to her friends no matter the consequences. She’d stand by Joey and stand up against slut culture.
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