By Andrea CastilloPLAY Writer
Take a look at any recent issue of People magazine or Us Weekly, and you’ll see pages littered with scantily-clad celebrities and busty blonde models. While being bombarded with the message of “thin is in,” it is little wonder that girls all across the country go to great lengths to conform to this definition of beauty.
Communication juniors Nikki Zaleski and Alison Lehner grew frustrated with Hollywood’s standards of glamour and in response wrote and directed a play called Waking Beauty.
The intent of the show is to reinvent the perception of beauty in the popular media, especially on television and on magazine covers, Zaleski says.
“The image is too specific, too one-sided to make sense to an entire world of girls,” Zaleski says.
Lehner describes the show as a reinvention of the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty, which follows the title character through a dream world where she meets many characters and undergoes a process of personal growth. Waking Beauty also incorporates facts and statistics about the media’s effects on women through the girls’ informational, but offbeat, reflections throughout the play.
Zaleski and Lehner have been working with the all-female cast from Haven Middle School since last October. At twice-weekly workshops, they look at advertising, listen to music and watch videos and then reflect on different aspects of beauty. Through journal entries and original poetry, songs and scenes, the girls produced the script for the show.
During rehearsals, Lehner and Zaleski have emphasized open communication and trust among the young performers. Every day begins with a game called “I come from … ” which gives the girls an outlet to talk about everyday activities and problems as a way to open up to each other.
“The great part is seeing girls coming together as a group,” Lehner says. “Girls who didn’t know each other before (now) say ‘We’re like sisters.’ “
Zaleski says theater was especially effective because it would bring up issues that would get people talking.
“The reason theater works is because it’s a jumping-off point,” Zaleski says. “Girls want to be creative and talk, and this makes them want to talk in a way sitting in a group doesn’t work.”
The two Northwestern students have also been working closely with Betsy Quinn, professor of creative drama at NU, who also teaches at Haven.
They approached Quinn last spring about the show, and she has encouraged the girls by organizing auditions, helping get the show together and serving as a mentor to Zaleski and Lehner.
“(Quinn) has been a huge help and inspiration, and the greatest part is that she’s trusted us,” Lehner says. “The trust in this has been really helpful, and when we need anything, she’s been supportive.”
Although young girls have been the target audience of the show, Lehner says its message is important for all women today.
“I definitely think that any woman can connect with the show,” Lehner says. “Despite how self confident you may be, the pressures are always there.”
Waking Beauty will go up at Haven Middle School, 2417 Prairie Ave., on Jan. 26, and at Family Focus, 2010 Dewey Ave. Both shows begin at 7 p.m. Rather than charging admission, the directors are asking for donations so the show will be accessible to as many people as possible.
Medill sophomore Andrea Castillo is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at [email protected].
