Little girls’ are gentle, play with dolls and like glitter. Boys are rough, play with trucks and like dirt!
Despite the progress that feminism has made in society over the last few decades, this highly reductive way of understanding gender and childhood is scarily pervasive even today. In 2018, Australia Playhouse aim to challenge these stereotypes affecting both boys and girls in their most controversial season yet.
Not one to typically rock the boat, Australia Playhouse, who tour 750+ primary and high schools across Australia and New Zealand every year, has decided it’s time to tackle the issue of rigid gender roles and stereotyping in their 2018 season of “Red Riding Robyn Hood”.
“Feminism is sometimes seen as a scary and highly politically charged word…definitely not something for children! But this play isn’t about making armies of girls to overthrow boys or anything like that!” says company director Michael Bell.
The show, which features a gender reversed Robyn Hood narrative, is set to hit the road in February 2018 but can be booked now by teachers, education providers and community groups, doesn’t stray far from AP’s usual style of fun, light-hearted, pantomime theatre. Only this time, the theme of feminism is directly in the forefront.
“I think what this play is really about is just telling kids that they have the freedom to just be who they are – whether they are a boy or a girl doesn’t determine what they can do in the classroom and in the playground. It’s very fun and liberating” says AP actor, Katherine Kennedy.
The company’s key Playwright and Artistic Director, Gregory Cooper, is no stranger to tackling feminist issues, having run several successful seasons of “That Bloody Woman” throughout New Zealand from 2015 –16, an unapologetic punk-rock opera about the life and legacy of Kate Shepherd. Greg and the Playhouse production team decided there was no reason why themes of inner strength, overcoming obstacles, fighting for equality and smashing gender roles couldn’t be incorporated into a fun, funny and inspiring piece of children’s theatre. When asked to talk further about his gender reversed Robin Hood story, Cooper said:
“Unfortunately in many fairytales the female characters fall into two categories. They’re either beautiful and vulnerable and need a man…to save them, or ugly and evil and intent on killing the beautiful female character….Now[days] it’s important to tell stories that do not place the female leads in an archaic box made from archaic attitudes. The children of today need to see stories that reflect the world we live in. Where the female leads are not passive and subservient, where exterior appearances do not determine the nature of your character and where women are quite capable of handling a big bad wolf without a man’s assistance.”
You can catch Australia Playhouse’s current show, “Puss in Boots: Pet Detective” at schools throughout Tasmania during June and July. To book “Red Riding Robyn Hood” for 2018, just visit australiaplayhouse.com.au or email [email protected]
Rachael Lundy
