Review: GIRLHOOD at Round House Theatre

If there's one thing that all teenagers are, it's underestimated. Round House Theatre's completely teen-directed, designed, and acted Girlhood showcases that more than ever as the theatre put on its 21st Sarah Metzger Memorial Play with the Round House Teen Performance Company.

Girlhood is a series of vignettes packed within a tight hour that tackle a variety of topics within teenage female adolescence - sexuality, consent, grief, etc. Penned by local Dani Stoller, most recently seen on stage in Signature Theatre's Which Way to the Stage, all the action takes place underneath an abandoned overpass where several sets of teenagers all with different upbringings come to get drunk and pierce each other's belly buttons, share a special night with a boy, or even escape the pressure of a parent's funeral.

Stoller's writing encapsulates the Gen Z language we have all come to know with their likes, ums, and I don't knows and all the while keeps the dialogue clear and concise, never trivializing what they're trying to express. I had the pleasure of hearing Dani speak after the opening night performance, and she said something that has stuck with me since Friday night: "We tend to create art for young people that infantilizes them so we can protect ourselves as adults from who they are." You can tell from the way Girlhood flows that Stoller never thought these teens were anything but "mini adults", something you see too much of in plays written for this age. I would've loved to have seen a bit more of exploring your sexuality with the same sex, as that topic was missing from the vignettes, but that comes as an afterthought.

Eva Lee's direction truly used Round House's space inventively, never once feeling the need to only use the safe directing choices. At only 15, Lee brought the beginning and end together to feel synonymous with everything in between, having all actors on stage to catch lightning bugs without quite knowing what it would mean until the very end. Lighting designer Frankie Grimaldi utilized light under the overpass to bring out the highs and lows of every scene, making dramatic moments stronger and touching moments deeper. Sound designer Lucinda Chase made use of pop music, specifically Taylor Swift, to flow scene by scene, which felt like such a specific choice when today's teenage girls are consistently singled out for their fangirl tendencies, especially with Miss Swift, something I adored.

There are a couple of standout performances I'd like to mention: Quinn Parker as Skylar/Callie, Fin Davis as Liz/Gemma, and Sammi Jones-Quartey as Hazel/Mouse. For Parker, her scene as Callie about two of her best friends lying about having sex with her to stay cool with their friends brought out such visceral anger that we didn't see anywhere else in the show. She held her own and took the audience through her roller coaster of emotions.

Davis and Jones-Quartey were both fantastic in their scene with the seance under the overpass. Jones-Quartey took what the audience saw as a comedic scene and made sure it felt real to Mouse, her character. Her monologue right about the Lady in the Woods was as dramatic and high-stakes as it needed to be. Davis's comedic timing in the same scene was hysterical, hitting every moment with perfect timing.

Davis also stole the final scene in Girlhood as Gemma, someone who ran from their mother's funeral to get away from all the people. In a scene where they did not do most of the talking, as the other two argued about God and Heaven, Davis held my attention while watching them listen and react from their vulnerable state.

Overall, Girlhood provided a theatrical experience that I think everyone needs to go out of their way to see more of. In a community where professional, adult productions always seem to take priority, we always seem to forget where we all started first: adolescence. I also feel like the opportunity to review Girlhood found me at the exact time I needed to be reminded of why I love theatre; watching these teens see the culmination of all of their hard work that night reminded me that no matter what it is, we need to remember that we love what we do. And you could feel the love in that room. I can say with certainty that Round House Theatre's Sarah Metzger Memorial Play is an annual event that I am putting on my calendar every year from now on.

Girlhood plays at Round House Theatre through February 19th. Performance run time is approximately 60 minutes. Content advisory for frank discussion of sexual activity, assault, and bullying, among other topics.

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