24th Play - Skin Song by Katherine Gwynn

I really liked the first play I read by Katherine Gwynn, so I found another one of hers to read!

Summary: "In this loose retelling of The Little Mermaid, there is a Selkie who can dance but not speak, a Deaf woman who signs to the sea, a silent chorus, and a Lobsterman who hates being a Lobsterman. Incorporating ASL, shadow-voicing, projection, dance, and music, Skin Song is a play about being silent and voiceless and the difference between love and possession." (New Play Exchange)

I Loved: I think this play would be so beautiful to see. Between the movement of the selkie sisters as an ensemble frolicking and also mourning in the ocean and the ASL signing, I just believe this would be a feast for the eyes. Watching someone sign can be quite magical, and even a bit sensual, which is particularly emphasized in this play. The sensuality between Undine (described in the character breakdown as "A selkie whose name is not Undine" - what? yes, you got my attention) and Gwen, the Deaf woman, is beautifully articulated in Undine's learning of sign language from Gwen. I found it very feminine and quite sexy, frankly. The difference between the relationship of Gwen and Undine, who tries to learn to sign to communicate with Gwen, and with Gwen and her brother Doug, who can only fingerspell after all the years of knowing her, is highlighted. I'm fascinated by how Undine speaks, so the audience knows what she is thinking, but Gwen and Doug can't understand her. Undine seems to be able to understand some, but not all of their words. The conversations between Gwen and Undine are so lovely, full of discoveries and the attempt to understand each other. It's hard to describe, so I'll give an example. This is when Gwen is giving Undine some clothes to wear: “UNDINE: (Lifts the pants and t-shirt to her chest.) I like these. GWEN: Do you like them? I think you like them. Good. I’m glad.” Anyone who has ever had a conversation with someone speaking in a language you don’t speak will relate - the desire to communicate is so clear, and the stumbles are adorable and lovely. The loneliness and longing in this play are SO real and powerful - it's a common theme from all the characters. When they are able to breach that loneliness in moments, it is a beautiful relief to both the characters and the audience.

What I didn’t Love: The playwright is super specific about all of the communication in this play. Gwen is always signing her words, although sometimes she also speaks, and sometimes the words are projected behind her. The selkie sisters are silent, but their text is also projected. Occasionally, words that aren't spoken at all are also projected. "This is the unspoken in the play—the words that hang between GWEN and UNDINE." While this convention seems to work, at least on a reading, maybe the playwright could trust the actors and the directors to convey these unspoken words between those two characters, rather than having to rely on the projections? I also wonder if the number of different needs for projections will be confusing to the audience. Additionally, I don't love the character of Doug. This play is promoted as a "loose retelling of The Little Mermaid," and although I admittedly have not read the actual story (just seen the Disney movie), but it seems like the audience, like Ariel, is encouraged to fall in love with the Prince before things start to get problematic. But in this play, we are hesitant about Doug from the beginning. I like that Doug is the antagonist, but I want to be a little more conflicted about him. Just a little ... Why does Gwen still live with him and care about him? I'd just like to see a little more good stuff so that the bad stuff (not really a full spoiler here) is more potent.

Overall: I really liked this play and would LOVE to see it - reading it is definitely not the full experience of this play. There are so many FUN challenges for a director, designers and actors! I want to be in the Selkie Sisters ocean dances, I want to watch Undine start to learn to sign by touching Gwen's face, and more. This play is sensual, beautiful and poignant. There aren't many characters, but they are fascinating, even if I think Doug's character could be a little more dimensional. This play also feels wonderfully inclusive, with a Deaf character who is full and real and the center of the story, and a lovely girl-girl romance told with sublime sensitivity and sensuality that doesn't feel out of place in this mythological world at all. Not sure there's a role in it for me, but someone hire me to direct it! Or even do movement and intimacy work!!! I really liked this one. This is the second Katherine Gwynn play I've read and I WILL READ MORE. She's an awesome playwright!!!

Here’s a link to Google Sheets with more info about the play: Play a Day Sheet