We sat down for an exclusive with Alex Stroming ahead of T Regina Theatre company’s upcoming production of Scenes with Girls at the Golden Goose Theatre from April 22nd to May 3rd.
What drew you to Miriam Battye’s Scenes with Girls, and how did you approach adapting it for a new audience?
One line got me hooked as a happily single 20-something woman— “If she’s going to ask me to be a bridesmaid or something, I’m going to throw up a fucking kidney”— I had just been a bridesmaid three times in six months (no offense to those couples, I love you all and was so happy to be part of your day)! But the overall message was so relatable. I was so delighted at Miriam Battye’s (MB) imagery and comedy, so intrigued by her unapologetic, quirky characters, and laughing through my confusion. By the end, I was a little catatonic, struck by how accurately she put words to experiences that mirrored my own friendships. She takes the relationships and conflicts that we are taught are not very important (even though they shape us and make us feel so many feelings) and puts them in the spotlight.
In terms of adapting it for a new audience, there wasn’t much to adapt. The play is already so relatable and brilliant as it is– I think that its recognition was unfairly stunted by the pandemic. Of course now MB has had award-winning success with Succession and Strategic Love Play— Scenes with girls deserves just as much recognition and love. We have just relished digging into the text and MB’s iconic stage directions (“full of internal pyrotechnics, outwardly still”). It’s been a year now since I first picked it up, and I still make new discoveries at every single rehearsal. That is such an exciting and incredible gift!
The play features 22 short scenes. How did you decide on the pacing and transitions to maintain emotional continuity throughout the performance?
In terms of pacing, one of the first stage directions of the play is something like “time with Lou and Tosh is like a collective reverie, their conversation dances, they communicate, very, very, very quickly”. Let me tell you, this is MUCH easier said than done, and I am in awe of Hannah, Lyndsey, Eli, and Emilys’ ability to bring this stage direction to life with such playfulness. Without giving too many spoilers, part of the fun of the play is discovering how those 22 short scenes connect; there are a couple of delicious plot twists. There is a little bit of mystery in what happens between the scenes— we have our ideas which inform our choices, but depending on their own experiences, every audience member is going to have a slightly different interpretation. This has been the most fun part of talking to people after they experience it— hearing what they imagined between the lines.
Were there any lines or scenes that felt especially central to your interpretation of the story? How did you emphasise their importance?
Two lines come to mind, first when Tosh says “I genuinely think in five to ten years we are going to have several different possible ‘happy’s’”
First, the idea that there can, and should, and will be more than one version of “happily ever after”. As a queer woman who’s on the asexuality spectrum, this idea is so meaningful to me— questioning what we mean by “happily ever after,” not only in terms of who we ride off into the sunset with, but whether we must ride off into the sunset at all. What the hell is so great about that sunset anyways?! How much different could life be if we enjoyed every part of the journey, embracing change, instead of chasing an idealized version of “happy” that ultimately is as elusive and unstable as a beam of light?
Second, when Lou says “You won’t celebrate this. You won’t, like, pore over this for reasons why you are. That’ll be Significant Relationship’s that’s His. This. This isn’t the story this was just a given. This was all a given.”
I think that people are starting to understand that it’s an unrealistic/unhealthy expectation for your romanic partner to be your sole support system, that it’s important to seek love and support from many relationships in your life. My platonic friendships have been the most impactful in my life, and not because they have been easy and simple— because they have been painful and difficult at times. Those conflicts have shaped and sharpened me into the person who I am today. This play leans into the depth, vulnerability, intimacy, and intensity of Love, even when there is no sexual attraction involved. It probes at the idea of romanticism and passion in platonic relationships— but specifically, asks us to reflect on which relationships we value in most in our lives, and more importantly, why?
In terms of emphasizing their importance, I think MB has pretty much done that work for us in her brilliant writing. We only need awareness (of their importance); she makes it easy.
How do you think this play resonates with contemporary discussions around gender, autonomy, and the portrayal of women in theatre?
I feel like I already answered this by accident! In addition to my previous musings, I would just add that it’s important to have representation of women being messy and gross and mean and wrong and politically incorrect and HUMAN. To show that we are capable of making mistakes and that’s not because there’s something wrong with us, it’s because we are people moving through the world and it is impossible to move through the world without causing harm. And trust me, as a recovering perfectionist and chronic people-pleaser, this is a truth I have to swallow at least every two weeks.
I think women have less permission to fail than men do, and part of that is inequity in society and part of that is that we don’t give ourselves permission to get back up and keep trying. In chasing perfection, we end up on an endless loop that goes nowhere. And this isn’t just about women/gender (which isn’t binary anyways), it applies to other marginalized groups, underrepresented identities, and raises questions about privilege and society and historical precedence…but that’s a can of worms that I don’t think I have time to open right now—find me in the pub afterwards!
Do you feel there’s a unique energy or dynamic that emerges when women collaborate on stories about women?
Unequivocally, yes. But I could be wrong. Come see the play and let me know what you think.