The Shape of a Girl, by Canadian playwright Joan Macleod, is a powerful one woman show that deals with the grim extent of female bullying, and the code of silence enforced upon the witnesses by their peers. First performed as a part of the PanCanadian Playwrights Festival at Alberta Theatre Projects in 2001 and Inspired by the Reena Vick murder in Victoria in 1997, this play follows the life of sixteen year old Bradie and her recounting of events in her own life that begin to mirror the 1997 incident.
The Shape of a Girl explores the thin line between the extremities of the Reena Vick murder and the everyday occurrences that happen in our schools and playgrounds. With the world growing closer and closer through ever encroaching social media, our children are coming under greater scrutiny and focus to the point where there is no such thing as a personal life. One innocent mistake can blow up and spiral into an incident such as the Amanda Todd story that took place only ten months ago.
Artists’ Collective Theatre (ACT), with the permission of Ms. Joan Macleod, is presenting a revised 3 girl version of the production directed by Amanda Liz Cutting. ACT is currently presenting this in a school tour due to the demand from last year. As a result they have done numerous productions to schools in Calgary and as far out as Edmonton. "We had many people from the general public who wanted to see the show which is making an impact on our student body. So we decided to do a 2 day only showing." Says Amanda Liz "We found that there were many schools that wanted the presentation but, just didn’t have it in the budget, so we have chosen to take the proceeds from the shows to help subsidize these schools."
The acting troop presenting the show is comprised of 17 year old Megan Tracz (a role usually portrayed by an actor in her mid-twenties), Emily Suderland (18), Morgan Garnier (13), and Hayley Thompson (11). "This is a show everyone can relate to because we have all felt the effects of bullying in our life to some degree" says Tracz. "The show follows Bradie through many years of schooling and events and it is really amazing to watch what each girl brings to the character through their connection to the subject matter." The show is recommended for adults and teens alike. If you are unable to make the show but would like to make a donation to the company for this fund please go to https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=s-xclick&hostedbuttonid=MJVM5C8J9KSUC.
The Shape of a Girl is directed by Amanda Liz Cutting, at West Village Theatre. The show runs ONLY 2 days November 7th and 8th at 7:30PM, Tickets $22.50, Students/ seniors $17.50, For more information or to book tickets go to www.acttheatre.ca
