In 2015 Juliette Villenave and Perrine Thomas were studying for their Masters in 'History and Research in Performing Arts' at The University of Bordeaux in France. During their final year they decided to start their own theatre company and 'Sur Nos Gardes' (roughly translated as 'On Our Guard') has now been running for three years. Since then three other company members have joined - Jessica Czekalski, Leo Souquet and Clemency Haynes. Describing the company as "politically engaged" its members produce plays that are both innovative and exciting, more often than not exploring controversial themes and ideas that challenge the status quo. This was indeed the case with one of their first and most successful productions, "Paye Ton Adolescence" or "PTA". Written by all five members of 'Sur Nos Gardes' and based on their own personal experiences as teenagers, it explores a set of key themes: periods, body issues, consent, desire, pornography and female masturbation. The play was originally commissioned by a secondary school in Blaye. They approached their former student (company co-founder Juliette) and asked if she would create something for International Women's Day to be performed in their school to an audience of 12-16 year olds.
PTA opens with each of the members sitting on a chair on stage. Slowly, as time passes, the performers subtly change their position until they embody the exaggerated poses we are conditioned to associate with men and women. For example 'man-spreading' makes its comical, but not unexpected appearance. One by one the actors begin telling their own personal anecdotes recalled from their time as a teenager, each one powerful in its expression of relatable angst or trauma. Clemency recalls playing sport on a Thursday afternoon while at school and always leaving her period pads in her kit bag in the changing rooms. One afternoon she returns to find them missing, only to hear a boy shouting "is this what you're looking for?". Somewhat wryly she finishes her anecdote by telling the audience that this 'prank' made him the most popular boy in school, while it took her quite some time to get over the acute feeling of shame.
The scenes that make up the rest of the play are an articulation of its' key themes. 'The Period Scene' in which Perrine’s monologue is a poem about 'the stain', while Clemency and Juliette slide their hands (adorned in long red gloves) between and down Perrine’s legs; 'The Mirror Scene' where each of the performers undress and, imagining they are facing a mirror, examine the parts of their body they feel most unhappy with and 'The Party Scene' where Juliette and Leo perform an excruciatingly familiar routine designed to explore the issue of consent. Their post party scene monologues describe two very different interpretations of events, with Juliette saying, "I said no, I said it in 22 different ways" and Leo countering with "she was dancing with me all evening, it was obvious what she wanted".
In the one hour workshops which take place after the play ends, each performer gets a chance to work with a small group of teenagers as they begin to reflect on how they feel and what they think about periods, consent or pornography and other relevant issues. The company stands firm on not allowing teachers to be present in these workshops, preferring instead to create a space where the students feel comfortable enough to be honest and vulnerable with each other. Interestingly the company says that there are common reactions at each school - the boys prefer not to discuss 'The Female Masturbation Scene', while the girls love reflecting on 'The Period Scene' and 'The Body Issue Scene'. One very important outcome for the performers is that the teenagers leave the workshop with a very clear understanding of consent. Ultimately 'Sur Nos Gardes''s mission is to raise young people's awareness of inequality and the problems it creates for both men and women. They want to encourage young people to think for themselves while being armed with the facts; such as the alarming but eye opening statistic that 96% of sexual aggressors are men. It is this more than any other fact, which 'Sur Nos Gardes' say elicits the strongest reaction in their young audience.
PTA is still touring nationally all over France, opening the eyes and minds of countless young boys and girls on the cusp of man/womanhood. The work of theatre companies such as 'Sur Nos Gardes' is an inspiring example of how we can use the arts as a powerful tool in the fight for equality. A fight SheCurates believes starts with education and ends in our future leaders refusing to settle for anything less than equal rights for all.
We are so grateful to 'Sur Nos Gardes' for answering the call and telling us their story. We hope in turn that you answer the call and share this story with as many people as you can.
For more information on 'Sur Nos Gardes' visit their Facebook page or website surnosgardes.com. You can view the first incarnation of PTA at http://youtu.be/O1blOSiwTm8.
SheCurates.
