School Girls Closes Broadway Run After Ten Years

Jocelyn Bioh’s play School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play will end its Broadway run this week. The production marks a major milestone for the work, which first premiered Off-Broadway nearly a decade ago. It has remained a staple of the theater scene during that time.

The story is set in 1986 at the Aburi Girls Boarding School in Ghana. It centers on Paulina, the school’s dominant figure, and her interactions with the other students. The plot intensifies when a new transfer student from Ohio arrives. This arrival disrupts the existing social order at the school.

Bioh wrote the play to explore the specific dynamics of girlhood and societal beauty standards. She noted that she did not think about the 2004 film Mean Girls while writing the script. The connection to that movie emerged later when she needed a subtitle for the work.

The narrative focuses on the competition for the title of Miss Ghana 1986. A pageant recruiter visits the school, setting the stage for a clash between the headmistress and the director. They disagree on which student has the best chance of winning a global pageant based on physical appearance.

The character Ericka challenges Paulina’s behavior and status. Ericka is lighter-skinned than Paulina, which adds a layer of tension to their rivalry. This dynamic brings the issue of colorism to the forefront of the dialogue and action.

Bioh stated that she wanted to write about her own experience as a dark-skinned woman. She hoped the play would shorten the journey for other young girls who feel similar pressures. She believes the topic resonates globally, not just within the context of Ghanaian women.

The current cast includes Denée Benton as Paulina and Jasmine Amy Rogers as Ericka. Other members of the all-female, all-Black cast include Lucia Aremu, Nia Otchere-Sarfo, Jordan Rice, and Erin Morton. Bioh says the diversity of the cast allows audiences to see different aspects of themselves in the characters.

The theater group The League of Live Stream Theater will broadcast the final performances online. High school students can watch for free, while other audiences will pay a fee. This method allows a wider group of people to experience the show as it closes.

Bioh mentioned receiving a message from actress Jenna Fischer after a recent performance. Fischer said she was still thinking about the play days later. Bioh views this reaction as evidence that the show’s message stays with viewers long after they leave the theater.

Bioh hopes audiences leave with a sense of empathy for both the young girls and the adult women in the story. She asks viewers to shift their ideas about beauty standards. She considers her job done if people move their thinking even a small amount.