On Theater: Playhouse unveils ‘Secret Life of Girls’

The stage of the Laguna Playhouse will resemble a concert hall tonight for the opening of Hershey Felder’s “Monsieur Chopin,” but in less than two weeks’ time it’ll be transformed briefly into a schoolyard atmosphere.

The occasion is “The Secret Life of Girls,” the latest project of the playhouse’s Theater for a New Generation, which focuses on emotional bullying at schools. It’s ticketed for March 9 to 11.

Written by Linda Daugherty and directed by Donna Inglima, the play centers on Abby, a new girl in town who tries to find acceptance on her school’s championship volleyball team. What she encounters instead are gossip, rumors and cliques, among other teen issues.

Daugherty, who has two children of her own, interviewed hundreds of middle school and high school girls — both the victims and the instigators of bullying — to accurately reflect the realities presented in her play.

“Today, new social technology — including cell phones, e-mail and Facebook — intensifies bullying by taking it beyond the school walls and into the secluded bedrooms of girls,” Inglima said.

According to the counselor Susan Fee, a licensed counselor who specializes in the health and wellness of girls, a post on Facebook takes about 15 seconds to spread to 100 people, Inglima adds.

“This type of bullying can lead to destructive behaviors in girls such as depression, cutting, eating disorders and premature sexuality,” she said.

According to the National Education Assn., an estimated 160,000 children miss school every day out of fear of attack or intimidation by other students.

“The Secret Life of Girls” has drawn praise nationwide, including a review from a Dallas newspaper that said, “This play is not about real life. It is real life. If you have a daughter under 18, you need to see this show. And if she’s over 11, you need to take her with you.”

TNG was formed to offer plays to young people who may have outgrown its Youth Theater season, said Inglima, director of the program.

“Each TNG play is a fully evolved piece of theater and may involve Youth Conservatory students,” Inglima said. “Plays are chosen for their relevance to the concerns of teenagers and for their ability to communicate frankly and directly at a level those teenagers will respect and appreciate.”

If You Go

What: “The Secret Life of Girls”

Where: Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road

When: 7:30 p.m. March 9 to 11; student matinee 10 a.m. March 10 and 11

Prices: $12.50

Reservations: (949) 497-2787

TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Coastline Pilot.