Schoolgirls
On the 22nd of November 2019, 6pm Almasi Collaborative Arts presented a staged reading of Schoolgirls; or, the African Mean Girls Play by Jocelyn Bioh at Old Mutual Theatre, Alliance Francaise. Directed by Sandra Chidawanyika- Goliath the staged reading had the participation of new and experienced actresses.
Schoolgirls or; the African Mean Girls Play is a winner of the 2018 Lortel Award for best play. Paulina’s reign as the haughty ‘queen bee’ at Ghana’s most exclusive boarding school may be over when Ericka, the daughter of a local cocoa tycoon, transfers in from Ohio for her senior year. Throwing unsparing light on questions of ambition, deceit, and the ultimate value of a fair-skinned complexion, this biting comedy by Jocelyn Bioh reinvents the American ‘Mean Girl’ genre to explore the universal similarities (and glaring differences) facing teenage women across the globe.
The staged reading of Schoolgirls; or, the African Mean Girls Play is part of the Almasi staged reading series.
CAST & CREW
CAST
Paulina | Vera Chisvo
Ericka | Jordan ‘Jam’ McKop
Ama | Rumbidzai Karize
NanaMunyaradzi Guramatunhu
Gifty| Chelsy Maunze
Mercy|Munashe Karnell Goromonzi
Headmistress | Francis-Eyahra Mathazia
Eloise | Chipo Bizure
CREW
Director | Sandra Chidawanyika-Goliath
Stage Manager | Prudence Kalipinde
Operations Manager | Kudakwashe Kanembirira
Programming Coordinator | Gideon Jeph Wabvuta
Associate Artistic Director | Elizabeth Zaza Muchemwa
Staged Directions Reader/Mentee Director | Gertrude Munhamo
NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR
When I read this play for the first time, I fell in love with the idea that a serious topic was finally being told not only using comedy – but in a place, we are all familiar with; the school ground. Not only are the themes of colorism, bullying in schools and identity issues strong in Jocelyn’s writing, but she has taken a lot of time to develop each of the characters; from Nana’s love for ‘wholesome’ food and admiration of her victimizer to the two cousins who provide most of the comic relief-wanting to speak out but holding back for fear of being thrown out of the most popular clique in the school. Inspired by true events, the play takes us to Ghana’s most exclusive boarding school where we see the most popular girl in school, the seemingly enchanting and sweet Paulina. Paulina proves to be not so sweet as we see how far her ambition to continue in her reign as the Queen Bee will take her. In comes Ericka, taller and fairer than her, with straight hair which she does not have to stretch with a hot comb. Then things get heated.
With a cast of eight women all played by female actors, with a female narrator, a female stage manager and, a female director helming the staged reading, and having continuously been exposed to the notion that it is as easy for an all-female project to fail as it is for it to succeed, I began my planning with a SWOT analysis.