Q&A: EDINBURGH 2024: Eleanor Greene on GIRLS REALLY LISTEN TO ME

BWW caught up with Eleanor Greene about bringing Girls Really Listen To Me to the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

How did you first get involved in the world of theatre? 

I first got involved in theatre when I was about twelve years old and attended performing arts sleepaway camp. I would audition for the musicals but be way too shy about it so would always get cast in the chorus and be really upset. Still loved it though. As a kid, I would make my brother film me in what I called “The Eleanor Greene Show” which, obviously, was a precursor for eventually doing a one-woman show. I finally landed some leading roles in high school and then went on to drama school at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. 

Can you tell us about your show, Girls Really Listen To Me? 

Girls Really Listen To Me is a dark comedy exploring consent, peer pressure and the toxicity of disproportionate privilege. The main character, Madeleine, is pretty much the worst sixteen-year-old you can meet. She lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and is convinced that her actions have no real consequences. Madeleine gets bored of all of her friends (because she thinks she’s better than everyone) so she takes the new girl, Maria, under her wing. But when Maria goes off-grid after a party, she’s forced to look at the bubble she’s grown up in in a harsher light. The show tests how far audiences’ empathy for obnoxious teens from a hyper-privileged world really stretches as well as explores some really knotty questions about consent and hook-up culture amongst teenagers.

What inspired the creation of Girls Really Listen To Me?

I grew up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and attended the private school that Gossip Girl

was based on. I’ve always wanted to write something about that weird world of extreme

privilege in a way that critiques it rather than glamorizes it. I’ve written previous drafts of

characters like Madeleine who are sincere or more sympathetic, however, they never worked.

Making the show a comedy allows this grotesquely wealthy girl who thinks the world is hers to

be the worst version of herself which, in turn, highlights some really troubling aspects of the 1%.

It’s also just way more fun to laugh at her. I’m also just obsessed with teenage girls and think

they are not often represented authentically.

What was the creative process like for Girls Really Listen To Me?

The first iteration of the show was a ten-minute monologue for a scratch night with Wretched

Sheep where the writing prompt was “justify the worst thing you’ve ever done to someone.”

When the director, Alex Prescot, came on board, I performed a more polished version of those

ten minutes at another scratch night. We then developed it into a half-hour work in progress and then into the sixty-minute version it is now. So there’s been a lot of drafts, character work and

audience feedback that has helped create the version that the show is today!

How do you write a piece of dark comedy that balances light and dark aspects?

I think tone is really important and letting audiences know it’s okay to laugh when the character

is saying really out-of-control things. Also, working out what the character thinks is funny vs. what the character thinks is really serious but audiences will find funny. Then, the funnier you start off, the more affecting the dark aspects are. I think you just have to work out how not to make a joke out of what you’re talking about but, instead, have the humour act as a refreshing appetizer to a really intense steak dinner. You’ll be glad you had the appetizer, but you’ll remember the steak. It’s almost a way of tricking people into talking about really important issues.

What is it like bringing Girls Really Listen To Me up to the Edinburgh Fringe?

It’s a lot of admin but really exciting! You definitely wear a lot of hats when taking a show to the

Fringe. I feel really lucky getting to do the show at Underbelly, who are a huge help in promoting

the show and making sure you’ve done everything you need to before you get to Edinburgh.

What do you hope audiences take away from Girls Really Listen To Me?

I hope audiences just come away with questions and themes from the show they want to

discuss and interrogate further. The show considers a lot of grey areas when it comes to

consent and sexual politics amongst teenagers which are really important to consider. I’m not

really aiming to give people an answer to a problem or one specific takeaway or message. I just

want to put the character’s world under the microscope in hopes that it sparks conversation and,

ultimately, is entertaining.

How would you describe Girls Really Listen To Me in one word?

Brat.

Girls Really Listen to Me runs from 1 to 25 August (no performance on 12 August) at Underbelly Cowgate at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Poster Design: Isobel Alcock

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