October 23, 2008 - The Early Girl: A new look at the oldest profession

The Early Girl: A new look at the oldest profession

This Fall, the Douglas College Theatre and Stagecraft departments get provocative ¿ but not in the way you might think.

From November 7-15, the departments present The Early Girl, by Caroline Kava, which takes a straightforward and unsentimental look at the sex trade and the women who work in it.

The Early Girl tells the story of seven women who work 13-hour days in a brothel in a small western American town in the 1980s. But rather than sensationalizing the lifestyle, The Early Girl takes a deeper look at the individual women in the brothel and the circumstances that brought them there.

"We thought the characters would be a good stretch for the cast. It's a very challenging ensemble piece," says director Cheryl Swan on why the Theatre department chose the play.

As the story unfolds, the characters deal with the reality of living and working in close quarters, with some interesting and often hilarious results.

"It's a comedy-drama," says Swan. "It's surprisingly funny."

Swan points out that despite the humorous characters and the provocative subject matter, The Early Girl has an important message for its audience.

It provides a glimpse into a side of the sex trade that many people often overlook or over-generalize - the women.

"These women could be anybody. They have the same types of problems, look the same and act the same as we often do. They've just made some difficult choices that some people may not approve of. But everyone has to make difficult choices. Not everyone is going to approve of everyone else's choices," says Swan.

Swan realizes the subject matter of the play may raise some tough questions for audience members. So, the cast has planned two talk-back performances, on November 10 and 15, where the audience can ask questions of the cast and crew after the show. Tickets for these performances are half price.

Performances of The Early Girl run November 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 at 7:30pm. There are two special matinee performances on November 10 at 1pm and November 15 at 2pm. All performances take place in the Douglas College Studio Theatre, 700 Royal Avenue, New Westminster.
 
*Warning: The Early Girl contains coarse language and adult subject matter. Tickets can be purchased through the Massey Theatre box office (604-521-5050).