Review: HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF Opens Up The Discussion On Consent, Body Autonomy, and Social Conditioning In A World Where Women Still Fear For Their Physical Safety

Tuesday 16th August 2022, 7:30pm, Old Fitz Theatre

Liliana Padilla's HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF uses the American college experience to explore the universal realities of the ever-present vulnerability and fear of assault that women experience on a daily basis. Presented with an artful simplicity, weighty topics of consent, body autonomy, the conditioning society has done to historically disempower women and the shifts in awareness that have occurred in recent years are addressed with open honesty.

The title of the work is drawn from the college student led class that two sorority girls decide to start when one of their 'Sisters' is brutally raped at a fraternity party. The instructor is Brandi (Brittany Santariga), a black belt in martial arts, and her 2IC is Kara (Jessica Spies), a young woman with marketing skills. While Australian schools don't have sororities, these two are the stereotypical ideal of an American College Sorority girl that we've seen in movies and on TV so their background as middle class white 'popular' girls that often think they are above their non-white, non-skinny classmates are easily recognized. The students that take the class are not who Brandi and Kara would normally socialize with though this Hispanic Mojdeh (Madeline Marie Dona) is desperate to being invited to be invited to pledge to the girls' sorority. While Diana (Georgia Anderson) is also interested in joining the sorority, more in solidarity with her best friend Mojdeh, the young woman with Mexican heritage is more interested in learning some real skills. The third student to sign up is timid and quiet Nikki (Jessica Paterson) a loner who is more comfortable trying to make herself invisible from the attention of would-be attackers, preferring the safety of her bed, a movie and a fresh baked cookie.

It's quickly clear that while each young woman wants to learn how to defend themselves, they are each bringing a range of underlying fears, traumas, perceived guilt and self-imposed expectations, often influenced by social conditioning which affects how much they engage with the sessions. This is not necessarily aided by the addition of Andy (Michael Cameron) and Eggo (Saro Lepejian), to fraternity boys that Brandi has asked to assist with lessons as Andy, a white middle class 'classic' American fraternity jock, while making assertions that he's new aged and woke to the female fears, proceeds to mansplain with the level of insincerity that many women will find recognizable. Eggo on the other hand is initially treated with caution as he's not a stereotypical American Frat boy but with time it is clear that he is much more honestly aware and interested in finding genuine answers.

Claudia Barrie (Director) has created a work that is easily relatable, honest, and engaging while also ensuring the humorous moments land well. Barrie ensures that all the performers push the characters to be easily recognisable in their stereotypes but still exhibiting the nuanced realities of the characters to make sure they have depth so the audience can connect with them. Soham Apte's set design is clean and simple while providing enough variety to give the characters a variety of places to perch or try different things. Emily Brayshaw's costume design is simple with approximations of the 'Greek Life' logos on the sorority sisters and frat boys clothes and contemporary fitness clothes for the participants.

HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF is an important work, particularly for anyone who still suffers from the misguided assumption that the world is safe for women because we live in the 21st century. For those that do understand the realities of the fear women live with and the precautions they take, HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF is refreshing in the way Liliana Padilla opens up the conversation without judging women in the room, often acknowledging that the questions and issues raised will not be able to be solved in a 95 minute play but at least they are out in the open and people will hopefully think more about how we can move towards finding the answers.

https://www.redlineproductions.com.au/how-to-defend-yourself

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