Following the life of a lesbian who struggles to accept her sexuality is the premise of Victoria College Drama Society’s production of Confessions of a Female Disorder. Performed at the Cat’s Eye Theatre, the production exhibited the hardships a young woman named Ronnie (Summeta Farrukh) faces regarding her sexual orientation. The play is directed by Molly Simpson and produced by Marie Song and Sonny Nightingale. Throughout the show, the audience observes Ronnie’s experiences with menstruation, college, therapy, and sexual intercourse through a jumping timeline of flashbacks between the past, present, and future.
The play opened with enthusiastic cheerleaders and witty football players who comedically informed the audience of sexual intercourse. As Act I progressed, Ronnie’s early life, living with her mother, and her experience in college were shown. Due to her hesitation with her sexuality, Ronnie struggles with depression. As the timeline jumps to the future, Ronnie has a husband, David (River Oliveira). It is evident that Ronnie has suppressed her sexuality, to adhere towards societal norms, since she is not completely happy with David.
During Ronnie’s college experience, she and her friend, Coop (Emily Powers), showcase a potential for intimacy with their flirtatious body language and conversations. In Act II, Ronnie lives with David and the two have a bumpy relationship. As Ronnie’s married life proceeds, she rekindles her relationship with Coop and the spark between the characters continues to shine.
Depicting the struggles of a lesbian and her hesitancy of accepting her sexual orientation, the play demonstrates other subject matter which is present in current society. This is seen through the pressure of losing one’s virginity, as exhibited through the character Liz (Rachel Bannerman). Her feelings regarding this topic is present in today’s society, considering how virginity can hold negative connotations and some people feel pressured to lose it.
Powers delivered an outstanding performance as Coop. She was believable and held amazing chemistry towards her love-interest, Ronnie. Powers’ body language and facial expressions stayed in tune with her character throughout the entire production. The focus she exhibited during emotional scenes was felt throughout the crowd. She held a strong connection with her character as she stepped into Coop’s shoes extremely well.
On the other hand, Farrukh presented a passionate portrayal of her character, Ronnie. Farrukh acted with elegance as she represented a character struggling with depression and their sexuality. She showcased the hardships of females who struggle with the acceptance of coming out. Also, she represented women who have a difficult time understanding who they are as they transition through different phases in life.
However, the play struggled with their execution of the timeline and the inner consciousness. During Act I, the scenes jump between the past, present, and future. As an audience member, it was difficult to follow the storyline considering it was confusing to understand which time period the current scene occurs in. Also, it was uncertain if the cheerleaders and football players were actual characters in the world of the play, or if they were part of the inner consciousness of a character’s mind.
As the play progressed, audience members were captivated by the actors’ performances. The cheerleaders and football players provided comedic relief throughout the production, as they kept the audience energetically engaged with their witty commentary and actions.
VCDS ran Confessions of a Female Disorder from January 24 – January 26.
