It’s just like any other play — except that it's all about feminism and pushes for mental health awareness. Oh, and the cast does not have a single male character.
This is what makes "Blown Youth" what it is. Company Carolina, a student-run theatrical organization on campus, is putting on the production from Nov. 4 to Nov. 6 in Bingham Hall, Room 203.
The play was written by Dipika Guha, a Yale School of Drama graduate, and in many ways mirrors Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" in its themes of overcoming stigmas of mental illness. However, it is completely unique because of its emphasis on feminism. In UNC’s production, every cast member is female or non-binary.
Director Emily Hagstrom, a double major in public policy and political science with a minor in women and gender studies, said women are underrepresented in theater and that the production seeks to bridge that gap.
“When I hear that women are underrepresented in theater, I think, ‘The world that I love so much doesn’t always love me back,’” she said. “I think that’s something that we’re trying to create here … a craft in a safe environment and a loving community.”
The show stars junior exercise and sports science major Stefanie Clinton, who plays Celia. Celia is an aspiring actor, but is not talented and cannot seem to keep an acting job. She starts a feminist commune with her girlfriend, and the show depicts her trials and tribulations as she tries to climb to a profession she simply cannot win at. As her aspirations fail and her friends stop supporting her endeavors, her mental health begins to deteriorate.
“I think Celia is a really critical role because I think she represents the anxiety that exists with the idea of perfection,” Clinton said. “She’s a character who just wants something to go right for once in her life and she has a lot of depression about that.”
Clinton said that because of how emotionally heavy the role is, she takes time to practice self-care and make sure that she does not let the emotions of the role impact her mental health outside of the production.
On the more technical side of the production, senior chemistry major Scout Manhattan Howard is in charge of putting together the aesthetic of the set as technical director and set designer.
