Our play for March was 'Parramatta Girls' by Alana Valentine.
Set in 2003, the play is based on the testimony of dozens of old girls from The Girls Training School in Parramatta. It is a dramatization of the experiences of eight inmates and their reunion forty years later. Interspersed with song and storytelling, this is a tribute to mischief and humour in the face of hardship and inequality from award-winning author Alana Valentine.
For the girls, crimes and misdemeanours such as playing truant or running off with a boyfriend could result in being charged with being in moral danger. Young women from dysfunctional families were also “put away”. Particularly confronting was that these girls were often charged with being neglected – they were the victims but were the ones punished. This was brought out by the girls playing a court room scene.
The play was confronting, but excellently written. The characters were well drawn and interesting. There were contrasts in characters and backgrounds as to how the girls ended up in the Paramatta Girls Home as it was known. But also contrasts as to the impact their years in the home had on their future lives. The writing was perceptive and inciteful.
In discussion after reading the play some of the class members were able to talk about their experiences with young people who had spent time in a similar institution. And we discussed what, if anything, has changed with the treatment of young people who find themselves with problem behaviour.
Set in 2003, the play is based on the testimony of dozens of old girls from The Girls Training School in Parramatta. It is a dramatization of the experiences of eight inmates and their reunion forty years later. Interspersed with song and storytelling, this is a tribute to mischief and humour in the face of hardship and inequality from award-winning author Alana Valentine.
For the girls, crimes and misdemeanours such as playing truant or running off with a boyfriend could result in being charged with being in moral danger. Young women from dysfunctional families were also “put away”. Particularly confronting was that these girls were often charged with being neglected – they were the victims but were the ones punished. This was brought out by the girls playing a court room scene.
The play was confronting, but excellently written. The characters were well drawn and interesting. There were contrasts in characters and backgrounds as to how the girls ended up in the Paramatta Girls Home as it was known. But also contrasts as to the impact their years in the home had on their future lives. The writing was perceptive and inciteful.
In discussion after reading the play some of the class members were able to talk about their experiences with young people who had spent time in a similar institution. And we discussed what, if anything, has changed with the treatment of young people who find themselves with problem behaviour.
Joy Shirley
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