Northview’s all-woman one-act
How women's representation connects to Northview High School’s theatre
Photo by Aryan Shetty
Allen Liu, Copy Editor, Liana Sabnani, Opinions Editor, & Scarlet Baumann, Staff Writer
Northview High School’s cast and crew for ‘Horse Girls’ is ecstatic to take their all-female cast to the regional One Act stage in November, where they will compete against other schools for a coveted win. As Northview’s actresses prepare for their moment in the spotlight, the production also shines a light on the broader issue of women’s representation in the performing arts, highlighting the power of an all-female cast in today’s evolving cultural landscape.
The One Act competition is an annual event in Georgia where schools from across the state perform one-act plays as part of their region in a bracket-style tournament. Northview’s theatre department is performing ‘Horse Girls’ for this competition in November and as a school play in October. With the official play and the competition right around the corner, stage manager Fallon Keel recognizes the chaotic environment rehearsals have.
“I organize the blocking and the technical elements of the show,” Keel said.
This familiarity with the behind-the-scenes production of the play has allowed Keel to grow a deeper understanding of the characters and thematic ideas overall.
In the regional competition, they have 45-50 minutes to set up, perform, and clean up. The competition and ranking are determined by their teamwork, the quality of their set, the inventiveness of the play, costumes, set pieces, and more. Northview’s theater department has entered the regional competition before and is confident this year in bringing back a win for Northview.
The story, written by Jenny Rachel Weiner, follows six middle school girls who are part of an elite horse club in South Florida. It delves into their journey as they grapple with themes of insecurity, obsession, and the universal search for belonging. In a dramatic change of events, the club receives horrible news during a meeting, and that news changes the group dynamic forever. Alishia Baiju, who plays the lead role in ‘Horse Girls,’ is especially excited about the play.
“There are a lot of plot twists [and] it’s not what you think it’ll be about. There are a bunch of out-of-pocket jokes that the audience will love. The cast teared up reading it because it is so funny.” Baiju said.
The upcoming play is most notable for its all-female cast, which features seven talented actresses, and three talented understudies, and is the third all-female show at Northview High School. ‘Horse Girls’ has at most 21 total rehearsals to finalize the show for each performance.
This dynamic also reflects current issues regarding equality. With the progress of feminism, highlighting solely women on stage corresponds with the goal of increasing women's representation. While the play does not focus specifically on feminist topics, feminism has shifted from being about equal rights to women taking control of things that they may have been previously excluded from. The casting selection demonstrates how the performing arts continue to influence ideas about gender.
“Everyone is super sweet and talented, it’s obvious that even if they're not necessarily pursuing [theater], it's something that they love doing.” freshman Emily Arnette said.
