The Shape of a Girl
 

Table of Contents

I. The Play

II. The Playwright

III. The Production

IV. Activities and Discussion

V. Information

I. THE PLAY

Joan MacLeod's The Shape of a Girl is loosely based on the tragic beating of Victoria teenager Reena Virk in 1997. The play comments on the turbulent teenage years. The sole character is fifteen year old Braidie, who has profound thoughts and concerns about her own teenage world. However, The Shape of a Girl is not aimed at teens alone. Teens, pre-teens and adults across the country have been moved by this gritty, honest and compelling look at the pressures and experiences of growing up and surviving adolescence. For those who are young, the play addresses current anxieties. For adults, the drama offers a powerful reminder of the past.

While in rehearsals in February 2001, Joan MacLeod wrote in her introductory note for the play's premiere at Alberta Theatre Projects:
 

"I've only written one play that didn't include a teenage character. That play did, however, feature a hundred-year-old woman and I like to think she had the spunk, wisdom and brashness of an adolescent. It seems that in the teenage world the stakes are perpetually enormous - - great terrain for any writer.

Braidie's voice started developing just over three years ago, not too long after the murder of a fourteen year old girl by a group of teenagers, an incident that captured news headlines around the world. Writing about those sad events in Victoria was the last thing I wanted to do, so it took me another year to see a relationship between the two. I only knew Braidie had backed herself into a corner and I didn't know why. I also knew I had a play because I wanted to find out so badly.
 

As I write this we are in our second week of rehearsal. We have a great team and it's going well. There have been front-page articles all week about bullying and violence and young people: this week isn't extraordinary.
 

This play is for teenagers, hundred-year-old women and everybody caught in between."

The Shape of a Girl was critiqued as "brilliant, inspiring theatre" at this first production in Calgary. Vancouver actor Jenny Young, in her performance as Braidie, was hailed as a "tour de force." From the ATP premiere, co-produced with Vancouver's Green Thumb Theatre, evolved a successful tour. The reviews speak for the success of Green Thumb Theatre's production:
 

"Once in a while a play comes along that is so powerful and real, it leaves you thinking about it long after the last line is spoken."
Lisa Wilton, The Calgary Sun

"The Shape of a Girl is a stunning example of theatre's singular power to interpret life's tragedies so they have context and meaning."
Adrian Chamberlain, Times Colonist

"Joan MacLeod has written not only a deeply affecting script, she's written an important one - a script that could really help young adults deal with bullying, bewilderment, anger and guilt."
Jo Ledingham, The Vancouver Courier

"If by watching The Shape of a Girl even one teen can find the courage to say enough is enough and speak out before bullying goes too far, then the play has done far more than just entertain us."
Chris Hamlyn, Nanaimo News Bulletin

Audiences across Canada have been profoundly impacted by the powerful reflections of this engaging young character. Lively and energetic, Braidie also entertains with a spirited, biting style of humour - - words that come only out of the mouths of teens:
 

"I used to think I'd want to be dead if mum or dad died. Now I actually imagine them dead so that I'll be able to stay out late and do what I want. . . . I'm not the suicidal type. Even if I was a complete mess and my brain had turned to jello I wouldn't want anyone pulling the plug. Mum would pull the plug on me in a second. Remember that Trevor. Make sure mum doesn't pull the plug."

Written in monologue form, the play holds tremendous challenges for the actor performing the work. A full length work centering on a character so young is both a rare and ambitious project. But Braidie's compelling and captivating story needs no supporting characters. The playwright's choice of using a singular storyteller is strikingly effective to the tone of the work, the messages relayed and the events described.

Braidie addresses her story to her absent older brother, Trevor, a hero in her eyes for his ability to defend his beliefs and act independently. Unlike Trevor, Braidie is a follower. Her willingness to "fit in," to lapse within her "safe haven" of tightly knit friends, has brought her to a point at which she is faced with difficult choices about right and wrong behaviour. However, in a world where survival and acceptance are at stake, supporting action that is "wrong" may be the only logical choice.

Braidie's concern is heightened by a news story which she follows closely. The story is about a group of teens involved in a horrific act of violence. On television, the group appears like any average group of teens, perhaps even like Braidie and her friends:

"A group of girls with hair and jeans and jackets. . . . And this group of girls on the TV starts waving, right on cue. Weird I'm thinking. This is highly weird. And what feels even stranger is that the picture is actually clear for once, from the neck down at least. But their faces are blurry, smudged, almost as though someone has taken an eraser and tried to rub them out.

And then I realize who these girls are. They are supposed to look distorted because they are young offenders and we aren't allowed to see who they are. They are accused of assault, accused of murder, accused of killing another girl - a fourteen year old girl. And one of them is wearing these big high heel runners like Amber's. They are all standing out front of the courthouse while the judge is taking a break. They are laughing like maniacs. Me and Adrienne often laugh like maniacs. Honestly, totally unprovoked.

Then the news guy starts talking about how one saw her dad murdered when she was six. And another girl's dad was also murdered. And I feel stupid to have ever thought that we have anything in common. In fact it pisses me off that they are trying to pass themselves off as normal. And even though it's illegal to do so, I can imagine their faces. Slutty eyes, chapped lips. The one girl wavesagain and yells hi and you just know she's making goofy faces just like Adrienne and me did when we saw the Canucks, when we thought we were making our debut on national television.

I don't know why I have to find out more about those girls, I just do. They are all over the news. Always in a group, always from the back or with their jackets pulled over their heads. I don't want to look at the victim, it's too depressing. But she is everywhere too - as a baby with her dad, as a regular weird kid on holiday, then one of those blown up year book pictures that always mean someone is either a movie star or dead. . . ."

As the news story unfolds, Braidie becomes more and more intrigued by the youths involved and the roles they play. She fearfully admits an understanding of those accused:

"These girls in Victoria: they're a mess. Some are in foster care, some have been doing the McFamily thing for a long time. Some have already been up on charges, one for lighting fire to another girl's hair. The fight with the dead girl starts when someone butts out a cigarette on her forehead. This is terrible enough in itself but it also opens a door. Look what I did? Now just watch, just wait and see. . . It's surreal. And that's not fair to say because it's exactly the opposite - it's totally real. I mean it happened. And what scares me, what freaks me right out Trevor is that I know the way in. I don't know how else to put it. I know the way in."

Braidie also confesses an awareness of how the victim became a target of abuse:

"When I look at her picture, when I look at the picture of the dead girl in the paper, part of me gets it. And I hate it that I do, I hate to be even partly composed of that sort of information. But right now, if you put me in a room filled with girls, girls my age that I've never seen before in my life - I could divide them all up. I could decide who goes where and just where I fit in without anyone even opening their mouth. They could be from this island, they could be from Taiwan. It doesn't matter. Nobody would have to say a word. You know something Trevor? I could have divided up a room like that when I was in grade two."

But when it comes to the role of the bystanders, Braidie finds herself puzzled, disturbed, and without explanation:

"The ones that watched the girl get beat up, they aren't accused of anything. To be accused you have to have gotten in there, down and dirty. I suppose that to be a teenager, even to be a little kid is to often be witness to very hideous behaviour from your peers. If you reported everyone you would certainly have to watch your back at all times and look no one in the face, ever. You would have to go through your entire life using only your peripheral vision."
 

Jenny Young as Braidie
Photo by Trudie Lee
 
 
 

II. THE PLAYWRIGHT
 

Globe Theatre audiences were introduced to the work of Joan MacLeod when her play Toronto, Mississippi was featured during the 1990-1991 Main Stage season. Since then, Joan has continued to write drama, poetry and prose. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the 1991 Governor Generals Award for Drama for her play Amigo's Blue Guitar. She also received Governor Generals Award nominations for Little Sister and The Hope Slide.

Joan MacLeod's talent for powerful, dynamic and evocative story telling has led to the creation, time and time again, of scripts that "are filled with heart," as described by Jon Kaplan in NOW Magazine Online. "There's a political edge, too," writes Kaplan, "but the message is always wrapped in an emotional sensitivity to characters who go through painfully real situations."

Joan's works are issue driven, inspired by stories or events out of Canadian history or news headlines. Her first play, Jewel (1987), is a woman's farewell monologue to her husband, a victim of the Ocean Ranger disaster. Amigo's Blue Guitar (1990) tells the story of a refugee's attempt to settle in Canada. The Hope Slide (1992) explores the historic landslide tragedy along with stories of Doukhobor settlers.

"I write about issues I care about," says the playwright. "I think part of the reason for the success of my plays is that they are a way of examining social issues - through the family." Joan's compelling explorations of "family", as well as her profound understanding of the human condition, have resulted in works that touch and appeal to a diverse audience range. Her plays have crossed age, gender and cultural boundaries with striking success.

In addition to productions throughout Canada and the U.S., Joan MacLeod's dramas have earned international recognition. A radio version of Jewel was cited in the International Prix Italia and has been translated into four languages.

Several of her stage plays have been subsequently adapted for CBC radio drama. Joan also writes for television and is currently working on the series Edgemont. The success of her most recent play, The Shape of A Girl, has once again brought Joan MacLeod into the spotlight of Canadian drama. Globe Theatre welcomes the return of Joan MacLeod's exciting work to the Main Stage.
 

III. THE PRODUCTION

Each January, Globe Theatre presents the work of a guest company, enabling Globe audiences to experience the work of theatres and artists from across the country, and giving the Globe staff and production team a short break between an intense holiday production and the busy second half of the season. Globe Theatre is pleased to showcase the work of Vancouver's Green Thumb Theatre and their award winning production of The Shape of A Girl. For information about Green Thumb Theatre, visit: www.greenthumb.bc.ca.

Characteristic of any tour is the demand for subtle changes in design, blocking and performance as a show moves from one theatre to the next. Globe's 20' x 20' in-the-round stage provides its share of challenges to a touring company. This presentation of The Shape of A Girl is certain to be quite unique from other points on the tour. Globe's intimate theatre space lends itself beautifully to this compelling and powerful monologue. The dynamic established between actor and audience in this space contributes greatly to the energy and potency of such a profound work.

Students will appreciate Jenny Young's outstanding ability to single-handedly captivate an audience through a full length play. Her engaging performance as Braidie, and impressive treatment of the scenes, flashbacks and characters that make up Braidie's turbulent world are certain to inspire students interested in drama and acting.

The Shape of a Girl is recommended to students in grades seven and up. Students and teachers are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to experience the work of this outstanding guest company, the successful Green Thumb Theatre.

The play comments on a number of themes - teenage angst, family relationships, peer pressure, to name a few. And there is much humour in the play. However, the central problem dealt with in The Shape of a Girl is the serious issue of bullying. Teachers may discover the play to be a helpful resource in introducing or continuing open and honest class discussion about bullying - not only as it is reported in news from other centres, but as it functions within our own communities.

The Shape of a Girl plays January 8 - 22, 2003. During the production run, Globe hopes to work with professionals and educators to promote awareness about the problem of bullying and to provide information and support to youths at risk. Post-show talkback sessions will follow school matinees. Updates and details about this project will be posted on our website: www.globetheatrelive.com.

The Shape of a Girl is approximately seventy-five minutes in length. There is no intermission. Teachers wishing to read the script prior to attending the performance may borrow a copy from the theatre. Call 525-9553, ext 22. We appreciate hearing your responses to the production. Please e-mail your feedback to: onlive@globetheatrelive.com.

IV. ACTIVITIES AND DISCUSSION

•Monologue - Students may be encouraged to examine monologue form and experiment with writing or performing monologues.

What are the pros and cons of working with this form? What are the writing challenges and advantages? What types of stories work well? How do other playwrights treat this form?

Prior to The Shape of a Girl, Joan MacLeod explored monologue form in Jewel and The Hope Slide. She comments on the one-person format in an interview with NOW Online:

"When I write a play with lots of characters, the energy comes from their interaction. What's hard about a one-actor play is figuring out how to keep the piece moving. With Shape, I played with time flips and consciously created scenes that get the momentum going. I love the enthusiasm that's generated when a one-person show works. I keep returning to the form every few plays. It keeps me honest to rely on purity of voice and trust in one story."

Students interested in exploring the monologue may find it helpful to read these earlier works by Joan MacLeod.
 

•Staging - Touring a production demands some flexibility and adaptability of the set, as well as by the performance of the actor.

Was Globe's space favourable to the play? What are some of the obvious challenges of staging and performing this particular play in-the-round? What are the advantages? How is the audience impacted by Globe's stage configuration? What are some of the challenges the actor faces in performing in such an intimate space and to an audience on four sides? How did the audience react to the play? How might different types of staging (i.e. proscenium, thrust, environmental) affect the performance or the audience's reaction to the play?
 

•Setting - The Shape of a Girl is set on Vancouver Island. Braidie's story is told against a backdrop of a Victoria news headline. However, the play delivers strong messages to which young people everywhere can relate. Students may find it interesting to discuss some of the difficulties and similarities between their own communities and Braidie's "west coast" world.

What is strikingly familiar about Braidie's world and the situation with which she struggles? Are the groups of teenagers she describes, including her friends, recognizable? What are some of the geographic and cultural differences between Braidie's environment and that of students in Regina or in surrounding communities? What problems do teens here face, which may contribute to bullying or abuse by peers? How widespread or severe is the problem of bullying in our communities? Are people aware of the severity? Is it an issue people willingly admit to or talk about? What resources are in place to help youths at risk?
 

•Braidie reflects on blindness and silence throughout the play. Several reviews of the play comment on the "conspiracy of silence" that clouded the Reena Virk tragedy and which often accompanies cases of bullying or abuse. In the case of Reena Virk, hundreds of people supposedly knew of the crime but remained silent. Braidie comments on this complicity:
 
"The ones who watched, maybe thought it wasn't real; maybe as they yelled out or laughed they were actually frozen. Maybe they were so glad to not be that girl - whose hair is being held up to a lighter now - that they don't even know how to imagine shouting stop. Maybe they think that silence is the ticket, the only way to never end up like that girl.

Even the ones who didn't watch, who just heard about what happened, they carry the silence to - a dark present, passed hand to hand. When they get home maybe they will dream about being blind. Because they can't stand the replays anymore - how the girl looked up and begged for help."
 

Is Braidie's explanation of the bystanders' inaction accurate? Why do people often choose to ignore or remain silent about acts of violence or abuse involving their peers? Why is it difficult to address these issues? What risks do young people face in speaking out?
 

•Flashbacks - Braidie recollects early signs of abuse and stages at which the problem becomes more severe. At eight, she and her friends begin the ritual of "penalty day":
 
"And then one day, one normal un-special day Adrienne comes to school and announces that it's penalty day. We don't know what penalty day is. Adrienne explains that on penalty day one girl is chosen and everyone is mean to that one girl for the whole day. Why? Adrienne doesn't know. It's just a part of school.

. . . At first penalty day is hard to figure out. There are a lot of rules. The person we have to be mean to has fleas of course. Everyone has to write FP for flea proof on their hand."

By age ten, the abuse is consistently aimed at one victim - Sofie, as determined by Adrienne, the leader of the girls:
 
"No one is to have contact of any kind with IT from first period until lunch. If you have to address IT do so during homeroom. On the school bus IT has to sit on the fourth seat on the left. If IT talks to any boys it will be dealt with by me. IT'S lunch today will be divided between Amber, Braidie and Jackie. Case closed. IT will make no comments and will not be allowed to look at me anymore as of now."

By twelve years of age, the girls are clearly adept at psychological torment:

"For Emergency Only - Sortie de secours. I have studied that sign ever since I can remember. It is written over top of some windows in the bus. I sit three rows down from Sofie. Jackie and Adrienne are behind me.

Sofie is sitting with Lorna. . . . We don't know Lorna. We don't even think of Lorna as an actual person.

The ocean shrinks and glitters as we head over the Lions Gate. You can see where we live, lying out there in the strait, all wrapped up in mist. It looks uninhabited, prehistoric. Adrienne and Lorna have switched places. Adrienne is whispering something to Sofie. Sofie is looking dead ahead. Adreienne leans into Sofie so that Sofie is squished up against the side. Sofie's face turns grey.

For Emergency Only. Sofie pushes the window on the bus. It fans out unnaturally from the bottom. Sofie hoists herself up, her head is out. . . ."

Are Braidie's recollections familiar? Are games such as "penalty day" common? What encourages this behaviour in children? What enables it to evolve and become so severe? What can be done to curb or prevent it's development?

•The Continuing Story - Students might enjoy creating their own stories about the "next chapter" in Braidie's experience. What happens? Does she return to school? What might her first encounter with her friends be like? What happens to Sofie? To Adrienne?
 

V. INFORMATION
 

•Student Matinees: Tickets are available to staff, students and chaperones @ $8.00.

•Talkback Tuesdays: an opportunity for students to attend a production and enjoy a post-show opportunity to meet the actors and artists, and discuss the show. Talkback Tuesdays are sponsored by Enbridge.