Girl’s Bedroom Play by Emily Lockhart Review

Reviews

14 Oct

Created by young Wirral-born writer/actor Emily Lockhart, Girls Bedroom is a semi-autobiographical play, packing all things girlhood into a 70-minute performance. From light-hearted nostalgia like hiding under the covers with your DS and fantasising about dreamboy Troy Bolton, to the grittier and harsher realities that come with getting that bit older, this piece captures the experience of a girl from the perspective of her safe haven over the years- her bedroom.

As a young girl and student, I was quite excited to see a piece that appeared to be made by a young girl like me and relating to young girls like me. It felt quite refreshing to see a piece of theatre with a new generation’s nostalgia, even if extremely on the nose at times.

The piece feels very intimate, not just because of the vulnerable themes addressed- but also because Lockhart strives to treat the audience as if they’re friends turning up uninvited for a sleepover, even lying asleep in her bed as they take their seats. The set’s minimal, with everything a girl’s bedroom needs- a bed, chair, a box of various sentiments, a top secret bedside drawer- complete with a giant teddy bear and music from 2010s heartthrobs blasting.

It’s incredibly difficult to command an entire theatre space solo- and Lockhart covers a lot of ground in both her writing and performance. She makes good use of her space- and her teddy bear co-star offers compelling performances as her “boyfriend” in some scenes and “a teacher” in others. She’s hilarious and relatable- but she’s strong and resilient through what might be the heaviest scenes I’ve ever seen addressing her own eating disorder and sexual assault experiences.

Another intimate aspect of the performance was the obvious attendance of many people close to Lockhart- with about half the audience bringing flowers, quite a few apologies from Lockhart to her dad through some raunchy scenes, and an up close and personal dance to One Direction’s Rock Me with a presumably close friend in the front row. Personal stand-outs to me included a bedroom analysis as told by an “Australian-explorer”, and more dishearteningly, the tearing of the Teddy’s stuffing as a striking comparison to weight loss from an eating disorder at such a young age.

Lockhart is making her debut with Girls Bedroom- after working on ‘Lessons Learnt’ by Jane Preistley for Mercurial Takeover three years ago, inspiring her to create her own one-woman piece.

Also on the team is Clarissa Liaw, a close friend of Lockheart and recent graduate of Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts who created the production’s sound design- completed with direction from Lalaine Joy Soriano, a songwriter, video producer and teacher specialising in Musical Theatre.

I can appreciate that creating a show like this is particularly challenging- and unfortunately, this time around, I can say that there are a few areas of the show that would be stronger with further development. Firstly, the performer calling line not once, not twice but four times, and a few of the transition scenes came across as deliberate filler- such as the karaoke sing-through and the Troy Bolton powerpoint presentation.

One thing I had been expecting walking into the auditorium was for the audience to be mostly girls in their teens and early twenties- but I was slightly surprised to find I was one of the youngest there. In a way, this was my first clue that I would struggle to determine a potential target audience. While the play was reminiscent of some pieces I’d seen before intended for touring schools, such as “The Smash Project” (addressing underage drinking) or Patricia Byrne’s “Every Move You Make” (on abuse and sexual violence in teenage relationships) some of the raunchier scenes could most likely be deemed too explicit for this kind of setting. At the same time, the subjects addressed feel too important for any old evening at the theatre with your girlfriends- even with the humorous scenes.

That being said- I also believe any creator has the right to make what they feel passionate about, and it will be the audience’s job to find them- rather than the artist conforming to what people “might like.”

I wish I was in the position to encourage you to attend Girls Bedroom before the end of the run. The passion behind this work is strong, and the production’s partnership with the BEAT Eating Disorders Charity displays a genuine effort and compassion for not just girls, but anyone who has ever felt a similar way to what was presented onstage that night.

A piece of theatre that makes you feel seen like this one, deserves to be seen.

I’m very eager to see what these promising young artists create in the future- and I wish the Girls Bedroom team the best moving forward.
★ ★