#performanceweek

Ok, so it is two weeks to go! Frankie and I feeling like we have got a performance now. We just need to make the ending! How exciting!

Frankie and I had been reading Naomi Wolf, Vagina: A New Biography, we therefore decided to write a scene to communicate the findings we had learnt, how all women are wired differently, so sexual stimulation feels different for all women.[1] In order to make this fun, and not appear like a lecture, Frankie and I improvised a ‘vaginal screening’ where Frankie looked in my vagina with a torch. We played with pulling wool out of my pants to label our vulva’s that were laid out on the floor. One thing that we did not think of, which I really wish we did: wool burns. Having it pulled out of your pants does not feel nice, the wool and skin contact, especially sensitive parts, really hurts! Yes, it burnt my lip. My labia majora. As I lay in the middle of Jarman 1 squealing with pain, Frankie was trying to think of other things to pull out that would not burn my sweet mini. Then I suggested to try out ribbon, as this was thicker and would not burn. We tried the ribbon, and thank god my labia majora was fine. This pulling out of the vagina, again, related back to Scheemann’s Interior Scroll and was engaging to watch. To cover my vagina, we used an emoji pillow to add to the comic effect.

 Frankie and I had been using this element of ‘tease’ to suggest that we were going to show our vulva’s, we felt for the ending we somehow had to come back to that. This teasing had been used as transitions through the scenes, and we felt like it worked in a way to introduce something new.

 One night, whilst watching Moonlight, (amazing film by the way), Frankie and I were eating pizza, gossiping about how awful our tutors are. (Not really, we were eating pizza and watching Moonlight though) The topic of the Oscars came up and how it all went wrong when they gave out the wrong envelope, and the wrong film was announced etc…. What if this could be our ending? What if we go to reveal our vulva’s and someone stops us because it was the ‘wrong’ envelop. Frankie and I discussed how this could be done and the next day tried it out!

 We used golden envelops to make a clear reference to the Oscars, and as we were going to use audience participation in earlier parts of the piece, what if we gave the ‘wrong’ envelope to an audience member upon arrival. The ‘wrong’ envelope would say for us to show our vulva’s, we wanted to make this as rude as possible to go with the rest of the show, therefore, we wrote ‘Get your cunts out.’ As the boys had become part of our show, we decided that one of them could announce the wrong envelope. This could make the audience think that we really were going to show them our vulva’s, and hopefully give them a slight panic. Just as it looks like we are about to pull our pants down, one of the boys would call out that the wrong envelope was given, and that would end our show.

 We thought this ending was relevant to today, and almost like a big reveal of our vulva’s that we had been suggesting we would show throughout the show.

 We have a full show! There’s a week to go! It is just the case of polishing the performance, and making sure everything is up to scratch!

 When running it to our pieces, they suggested we perform with more confidence! (We did not know all the lines at this point) and embrace any mistakes! Franks and I are feeling confident, and whatever happens, we have loved making this show! (Apart from the vagina burning incident)