Staging Violence Against Women and Girls: Plays and Interviews(Methuen Drama Play Collections)

Staging Violence Against Women and Girls brings together three contemporary plays that denounce gendered violence, along with interviews with their creators and the practitioners who have staged them in different national contexts. Little Stitches (London, 2014): consisting of four short pieces by Isley Lynn, Raúl Quirós Molina, Bahar Brunton and Karis E. Halsall, this play presents Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) from the points of view of by-standers, anti-FGM/C activists, health professionals, women who perpetuate the practice and, finally, survivors. 'Kubra' (Sydney, 2016): written by Dacia Maraini, this short play features a young woman who was subjected to FGM/C as a child and now, years later, brings her case to court in a search for justice. A Trial for Rape (Rome, 2018): adapted for theatre by Renato Chiocca from the international award-winning 1979 documentary of the same name, this play reveals how judicial procedures and attitudes toward sexual violence tend to turn rape survivors from accusers into accused. In their interviews, the writers, directors and producers discuss their conception and production of the works collected in Staging Violence Against Women and Girls. The plays and their creators highlight the urgency of raising awareness of these forms of violence and giving voice to survivors.

Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations List of Contributors Acknowledgements About the Cover Image Introduction: the stories behind the statistics by Luciana d'Arcangeli, Claire Kennedy and Daniela Cavallaro Little Stitches 'Sleight of Hand' by Isley Lynn 'Where Do I Start?' by Raúl Quirós Molina 'Dancing Feet' by Bahar Brunton 'Mutant' by Karis E. Halsall Interview with Melissa Dean and Alex Crampton by Daniela Cavallaro and Claire Kennedy Interview with the authors of Little Stitches by Daniela Cavallaro 'Kubra' by Dacia Maraini (translated by Sharon Wood) Interview with Dacia Maraini by Luciana d'Arcangeli (translated by Luciana d'Arcangeli) Interview with Nicolette Kay and further reflection by Olivia Brown by Claire Kennedy Interview with Ainsley Burdell by Claire Kennedy A Trial for Rape adapted by Renato Chiocca from the documentary Processo per stupro by Maria Grazia Belmonti, Anna Carini, Rony Daopoulo, Paola De Martiis, Annabella Miscuglio and Loredana Rotondo (translated by Claire Kennedy) Interview with Renato Chiocca by Daniela Cavallaro (translated by Claire Kennedy) List of References

About the Author :
Daniela Cavallaro, from the University of Auckland, is the author of several articles on Italian theatre and two books: Italian Women's Theatre 1930-1960, and Educational Theatre for Women in Post-World War II Italy: A Stage of Their Own. Luciana d'Arcangeli, author of I personaggi femminili nel teatro di Dario Fo e Franca Rame, was until recently Cassamarca Senior Lecturer at Flinders University, Adelaide. She is currently an adjunct professor, language consultant, translator and interpreter, based in Rome. Claire Kennedy, adjunct senior lecturer in Italian Studies at Griffith University in Brisbane, has translated and subtitled several plays for performance, and participated in numerous community theatre productions on women's issues. Bahar Brunton grew up in London. In addition to Dancing Feet, she has had two plays produced: The Highwayman, at the Battersea Barge and the Edinburgh Festival in 2008; and Sofka, at the Calder Bookshop & Theatre in 2012 and 2013. Alex Crampton is an intuitive artist, theatre practitioner, ceremonial celebrant, events producer, land worker and food grower. Melissa Dean is an actress, writer, producer and radio presenter, who uses her creativity as a means for activism. Karis E. Halsall has been writing for theatre for the last decade, working with acclaimed companies such as the Hampstead Theatre, Theatre503, HighTide Festival,Headlong, the Bush, DryWrite and nabokov. Isley Lynn's play Skin a Cat was awarded Pick of the Year at the Vault Festival 2016 and its production at The unker later that year led to four nominations for Off West End Awards including Most Promising New Playwright and Best New Play. Raúl Quirós Molina has an MA in Creative Writing from City, University of London. Ainsley Burdell is a director, performer and teacher who has worked in the arts and community cultural development in Queensland over the past thirty years. Nicolette Kay has directed and co-translated a number of plays by Dacia Maraini as well as contributing to books about the playwright. Dacia Maraini is one of the most widely read Italian writers in the world. Sharon Wood is professor (emerita) at the University of Leicester and the author and editor of numerous books on writing by women in Italy. Renato Chiocca is a director and screenwriter who works in cinema, theatre and television.

Review :
[Staging Violence Against Women and Girls] illustrates the journey of artists with how they can raise their communities' awareness around-and denounce-systemic and culturally accepted violence with humanity and humility, embracing complexity in communicating rather than perpetuating uninformed condemnation. This book's focus on the power of theatre to generate meaningful discourse could not have come at a more poignant time … [V]aluable for political and/or activism-minded individuals who are interested in the tangible intersection of the arts and cultural, social and political change.