‘Slut’ is every woman’s confession of growing up in a misogynist society. Confronting and all-too-familiar, the play—written 13 years ago—is sadly still relevant and urgent in today’s #metoo era. Inspired by true events and interviews with young women about sexuality and the ‘slut’ label, ‘Slut’ is a searing exploration of the female experience wounded by the male gaze.
Penned by one of Australia’s most celebrated playwrights, Patricia Cornelius, the narrative follows the rise and fall of Melbourne schoolgirl Lolita, chronicling her disturbing journey from girlhood to womanhood.
The audience can’t help but empathise with Lolita and her moving soliloquies: she’s sweet and meek, desperate for validation and direction; she’s the opposite of how her three school friends, or ‘the group’, describe her as they cackle and gossip, scribbling obscenities in chalk.
This new feminist theatre challenges the definition of slut; why women call other women sluts; how society categorises women as ‘sluts’, ‘good girls’ or ‘normal’. The story positions the celebrated male heroes, ‘the good man with a wife and two children’, against the ‘party girls’, the women that bring trouble upon themselves by how they dress and portray themselves. Sound familiar?
Raw and thought provoking, the important social message digs deep into our own past, conversations and choices; it urges us to reflect: how have we been complicit in shaming women and how can we try to make a difference?
The play is now showing at The Burrow, Fitzroy until 21st March. Get your tickets here.
