Cultural Issues In Rebecca Gilman's 'Boy Gets Girl'

Rebecca Gilman’s Boy Gets Girl, directed by Cynthia White at Theatre UCF, is a living portrait of a cultural issue that women face quietly every day: the fear of the possibility of sexual assault. Chosen as a replacement for Israel Horovitz’s The Day Before Yesterday following allegations of the playwright’s own crimes of sexual misconduct, Theatre UCF was tasked with the added responsibility of handling a text that addressed a relevant issue, especially in light of the recent “#MeToo” movement in America. An idea proposed by dramaturg Tommy Heller, “Sometimes a tweet isn’t enough,” motivated this production to take the next step in exposing the problem at hand while standing in support of those who are facing it (2). Gilman’s chilling revelation

The mood of the performance was established well before the lights went down as Tony sat facing upstage at a downstage center table. The use of the Police’s song, “Every Breath You Take,” as pre-show music, which returned later as a piano underscore, gave the audience a sense of what they would see based on their own connotation of the song. Tony’s silent presence within this music set a precedent for his looming character, and the obstructed view of his face from all seats in the theatre added a sense of foreboding to the opening scene. This had an even greater effect considering it is often frowned-upon to turn your back to the audience. Other characters stood in this position throughout the performance, raising the question of whether or not the other people that stood in that spot would turn dark as Tony

The text of Boy Gets Girl makes a statement about sexual assault, inspires an inward reflection, and acts as an expression of awareness rather than offering a direct and tangible solution to the issue. Responding to the world around us with a play covering the topics of stalking and sexual harassment is vital in encouraging people to speak up about what they experience and is especially important in the university atmosphere. Using Gilman’s alarming text as a foundation and fulfilling her goals, Theatre UCF created the world of the play onstage in a way that made the audience face the truth about Tony’s behavior, no matter how uncomfortable. Boy Gets Girl unmistakably goes beyond the impact of a tweet or hashtag and simulates the emotional effects of stalking and sexual harassment right before the audience’s