SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT | DRAMA TACKLES TIMELY ISSUES
Middleton play focuses on gender in digital age
PAMELA COTANT
For the State Journal
MIDDLETON — Last summer, when Kendra Dando chose a play for the annual winter short production put on by Middleton High School Theatre, she knew the timing of its controversial theme was important but had no idea how topical it would become.
She picked the thought-provoking “Girls Like That,” which was written by British playwright Evan Placey and published in 2014. The play revolves around a nude photograph of a high school girl named Scarlett going viral, which makes her the center of attention for all the wrong reasons. The play focuses on the consequences of living in the digital age and also how women are perceived in society, touching on gender equality, friendships and the state of feminism.
This is the first time in Dando’s 14 years of directing school productions that she has chosen one with an all-girl cast. It has 17 roles.
“It’s a really important and timely story,” said Dando, Middleton High School’s drama director. “I wanted to give the opportunity to talk about the issues happening in this play. … Honest dialogue is the way to move us forward and I’m hoping the show allows that.”
The Madison-area premiere of “Girls Like That” will run at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at the Middleton Performing Arts Center. Due to strong language and mature themes, the show is recommended for youth ages 13 and above and their parents.
A talk-back will take place after each show with a moderator helping the audience examine what they’ve just seen. The theater group hopes the play is just a starting point for further dialogue and thought on these topics.
“This is a problem happening in our society whether you see it or not and this is something that needs to be solved,” said Elizabeth Engle, a sophomore who plays one of the schoolgirls. “This isn’t just one story…This could happen to anyone.”
The simple set consists of movable, large, white blocks that the girls sit on and stand on and a structure that resembles a runway. The black stage curtains are drawn in a way that shrinks the stage.
“It’s a very basic set,” said junior Nadia Langley, who is the stage manager. “It puts a lot of focus on what is happening on the stage.”
The runway is a symbolic piece that allows the cast members to walk and sometimes stop as if posing, putting the expressions of the cast members under a microscope by the audience.
Dando said the idea for the runway came to her in the middle of the night. She felt the runway, which allows the girls to be seen from a variety of angles, is symbolic of the play’s look at facets of relationships.
But the emphasis on the performers also puts more pressure on them, she said.
Selam Cruger, a sophomore who also plays a schoolgirl, said the runway allows the audience to see the characters’ facial expressions, which has meant that the girls have been coached during practice to show much more attitude than they normally would on stage.
Olivia Larson, a junior who also plays a schoolgirl, said she hopes the play will give male audience members a better understanding of the issues.
“This is not just a women’s issue and they have to be part of that discussion,” she said.
Cruger said she has been subjected to bullying and found the play opened those wounds while allowing her to bring more authenticity to her acting. She also is eager for older audience members to see the play, she said.
“I hope they see there’s bullying and it’s very prevalent,” she said. “It’s a lot sneakier but still prevalent in our generation.”
The cast members said they found that having knowledge of some of the topics presented in the play helped their performances. But they noted it also opened their eyes and made them examine their own roles in the issues.
“It definitely changed me. It made me think of things I’ve done,” Engle said. “You see things a lot more.”
Reserved tickets are available online at middletontheatre.org. Same-day tickets can be purchased at the door before show time. Ticket prices are $8 for adults and $6 for students and seniors.
Several students look at their smartphones Thursday in a rehearsal for the production of “Girls Like That” at the Middleton Performing Arts Center. The play examines how social media can affect gender equality, friendships and feminism.
Hannah Ernst, 11th grade, Olivia Larson, 11th grade, Katie Joslyn, 10th grade, Beatriz Loucao, 11th grade, and Jessica Kim, 11th grade, act out a scene during a rehearsal in the production of “Girls Like That” at the Middleton Performing Arts Center. The show opens Thursday night and runs through Saturday.