School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play is onstage at Thalian Hall in the Ruth & Bucky Stein Studio Theatre this weekend tonight through Sunday and next weekend, June 23rd through the 26th. Fracaswell Hyman directs the show and says it’s being produced by the Big Dawg Theatre Company and features some amazing talent. Hyman says the beginning of the play centers on a character named Paulina, “who’s like the leader of this girl’s group in school. She’s kind of a bully. And everybody is under her thumb. And they’re about to have an audition to be a contestant in the Miss Ghana pageant.”
Hyman says Paulina is sure she’s going to win the contest until a new girl shows up in school. The girl is biracial so she’s light-skinned with long hair. Her arrival causes a major upset among the girls.
“Now, it’s a comedy but it has really serious overtones that deal with colorism and the need for us to meet standards of beauty that do not necessarily come from our culture.”
He says this is a theme that’s not only important and relevant to black culture, but also applies more broadly to anyone who has ever tried to conform to standards of beauty that are anything but natural. Hyman was drawn to the show because it offered black actresses a chance to showcase their talents here in Wilmington. He says his cast of 8 is amazing.
“One of the challenges was getting all the girls to do a South African accent. They’re young actresses so this was a new thing but they worked on the accents and I am very proud of them.”
Hyman encourages everyone to see the show and promises that you’ll laugh your head off until you break your heart. School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play runs through June 26th.
