2nd Play - 7/2/23 - The Virtuous Fall of the Girls from Our Lady of Sorrows by Gina Femia
Spicy Witch Productions: Shava Clarke, Alia Guidry, Renita Lewis, and Pearl Shin. Photo credit: Phoebe Brooks
The name of the playwright Gina Femia, a bisexual writer “interested in uplifting queer narratives that embrace joy,” has come up a few times in my readings, so I looked her up on New Play Exchange. She is quite prolific, so choosing which play to read was a challenge. Bearing in mind that my PRIMARY goal for this play reading is to find scenes for my college students, this play with a handful of young girls in Catholic School and the words “virtuous fall” got my attention.
Summary: "The Virtuous Fall of the Girls from Our Lady of Sorrows is an exploration of teenage revolution in the face of petty authoritarianism. Set in a Catholic girls’ school, the play recounts the ripple effects caused by one student's decision to produce M4M2, a controversial sequel to Measure for Measure." (New Play Exchange)
I loved: Despite all the characters being young high school girls, they are all very distinct. And it's very much an ensemble piece. I loved the truth of the language of the girls. I loved that there were a lot of things brought up that weren't necessarily the main point - women not being able to be priests, cruelty of kids to each other, dealing with loss of a parent, and more. The relationships that grew and changed were interesting, some surprising, some not. It was fascinating to see young girls grappling with their burgeoning homosexuality, and not quite knowing how to deal with it, especially in a place where people tell you it's a sin. And I think that the playwright managed to actually write an ending for this piece that is satisfying for the audience, without resolving everything too neatly, which seems to be the biggest fault I find with most plays.
What I didn’t love: The play was set in 2002, which is important for the story, but I wish it were more modern. However, the fact that the internet wasn't a constant presence is pretty important, as is being in the shadow of 9/11, so I get it. The language spoken by all the girls but one is written to be less “proper” or “educated.” I appreciated that that is probably pretty accurate for Brooklyn in 2002, but it is going to make it a little harder to cast without feeling stereotypical in the current climate. If I directed/produced this piece now, I would want to have a very diverse cast, and I think including at least one white actor as one of the girls is important. (Just my opinion.) That being said, I wouldn't want the one white cast member to have more of the "proper" language, and yet I think a white actor might feel uncomfortable playing a character with less "proper" language, in case it might sound as if they were mocking less educated people of color. In the culture of today's theatre, as we re-examine color-conscious theatre, I also asked, would some of my students of color feel like they're playing a stereotype with this language? I don't know. But honestly, those are really the only things I don't like about it, and they're more related to me using it in scenes rather than large criticisms of the play - pretty minimal.
Overall: Overall the combination of funny and poignant achieved in this play was exactly what I enjoy in theatre. I really appreciated all of the important issues the play raises, while mostly being a story about the challenges of being a teenager, sorting out the ethics of the world around you, and deciding where you draw the line when you feel that something is wrong. On a quick read, the play seems fairly simple, but it's not. I did think that the ending was somewhat didactic, but considering what's happening in our world right now, with conservatives demonizing drag, trans people and the LGBTQ+ community, I think that final message of the play is important all over again, and that lesson is a valuable one, sigh.
Here’s a link to Google Sheets with more info about the play: Play a Day Sheet
If you want to know more about Gina Femia: http://www.femiagina.com/