news | Tuesday October 26, 2010

Scrutinizing The Shape of a Girl

The Shape of a Girl, a stirring play by Joan MacLeod, explores many aspects of the troubling psychological phenomena that led to the assault and murder of a real-life Canadian teenager named Reena Virk.

In a disturbing event that garnered much media attention in 1997, Virk, who was 14, was beaten by seven fellow teenage girls and one boy. According to published accounts, she was subsequently murdered by the boy and one of the girls. MacLeod’s play doesn’t deal directly with the incident, but rather with the dilemma of a fictional girl named Braidie, who writes an imaginary letter that struggles to come to grips with the killing of a teenage girl.

The play also serves as a discussion starter for teenage audiences, attempting to relate to the kinds of social pressures they face on a daily basis.

The Shape of a Girl will be performed at the River Run Centre in Guelph on November 4th, as part of their Theatre for Young Audiences series.