Theatrefolk Featured Play – Just Girls Talking by Robert Wing

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight.  Just Girls Talking by Robert Wing is a fabulous drama for female performers. If “doing the right thing” could destroy a life, would you do it?

You’re the push of a button away from changing two lives. Mine and yours. You can’t do it. You won’t do it.

What starts as a meeting to finalize frivolous graduation ceremony details ends with one young woman faced with a life-changing decision. Five girls on five different paths hit head-on in a collision of values that leaves the viewer asking: What would I do?

Why did we publish this play?
Do you like plays that start in one direction and take a left turn? Do you want great parts for girls? We do and that’s what drew us to this play. Fabulous character-driven parts for girls. Your audience will talk about Just Girls Talking long after they leave the theatre.

Let’s hear from the author!

1. Why did you write this play?
After years and years of teaching, I am still often stunned by the things my students say – and the things their parents do. Though this play is pure fiction , it is topical, given the recent headline-making college admission scandal in the United States involving wealthy parents who buy places for their children at top universities.. So, why did I write about it? Because I have seen it happen, not in the way it unfolds in the play, but I have seen it. Wealth buys access. It’s unfair, and anti-democratic, and it infuriates not only teachers, but hardworking students too.

2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences.
Sophocles said it best: “ There is a point at which even justice does injury.” The characters in J.G.T. are poised at that precise moment where “doing the right thing” could destroy a life and they have to decide if it’s worth it.

3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play?
The image that comes to my mind appears in the final moments in the play when Amanda is trying to get the phone away from Molly. Both actors are in a desperate state: Amanda wants to preserve her power and Molly is struggling with her unexpected (and not entirely wanted) power.

4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be?
Though it is a one act play, give this piece a good, long rehearsal window. Allot time during production to discuss the concept of justice, and make sure the actors understand the complexity of these characters. There are depths to them all, even to Amanda that need to be fully understood to inform the actors’ choices. Take your time with this play. There’s very little in the way of setting and costuming to worry about – spend your time living in the characters’ heads.

5. Why is this play great for student performers?
Students will be familiar with these characters. On the surface, they fall into the timeless categories of young adult depiction: smart kid, sassy kid, rich kid, etc. Easy enough. Students and audiences will find this familiar, if not predictable. They are lulled into what they think is going to be a traditional teen angst narrative – and then an entirely unexpected depth is revealed and, hopefully, audience members leave the theatre asking themselves, “What would I do?”