Shield Maiden FAQ helps presenters and audience members understand what Shield Maiden is all about. Let us know if you have other questions!
This show looks fiercely feminist in content, are men welcome?
Yes! Men are definitely welcome. Many men have women in their lives that they admire and care deeply about. This play gives them a new way to appreciate the strengths and challenges of the women they know.
What does fiercely feminist in content actually mean?
To the me, the playwright, fiercely feminist means saying what needs to be said. Not tiptoeing around hard conversations about gender equity, women’s sexual freedoms, and women’s rage.
Women’s rage…what is that…like the “Karens” I see on TikTok?
Nope. Not like the Karen’s on TikTok. Rage and anger are normal human emotions but women typically aren’t allowed to express these emotions without being severely corrected. Most of the Karen’s we see on social media are privileged white women. It’s one thing to throw a tantrum because you don’t have enough foam on your latte. It’s an entirely different thing to fight for human rights and equality. For many women, LGBTQ+ and BIPOC folks, rage can be dangerous. In some cases, deadly. This play explores what deep, raw, female rage looks like and lets the audience experience that.
Um, how do I experience that rage as an audience member?
It can potentially trigger folks for whom expressing their rage was dangerous or punishable. The character in the play lives in a different time, 1000 years ago. Rage, men’s and women’s, was potentially a tool to help with survival. Women still don’t have equal wage parity, sexual abuse and murders of women is on the rise globally, women’s autonomy over their reproductive choices are getting rolled back, etc.
I thought the #MeToo movement would stop all that nonsense, but nope. So, I get up on stage and channel the rage that many folks (regardless of gender) feel about the erasure of human rights globally.
Okay, cool, what about the strong themes and language?
Yep. The play definitely has that. The character is sweary and comfortable with her sexuality. And she has no problems talking about her experiences as a victim of sexual assault. Remember, she is a battle tested warrior from 1000 years ago. The expectations around her language and sexuality may have been different.
Wait, how do you know what women warriors said and felt 1000 years ago?
That is a great question! And my answer is I don’t know, and neither do you! Theatre allows us to play with the “what ifs” and possibilities. the Vikings did not have a written language so we rely on artifacts to tell and shape their story. Here is a link to the origin story of Ingrid. They thought she was a male warrior for over 100 years. DNA testing proves she was female. I’m comfortable filling in blanks in history…or rather herstory!
Why should I stay for the talk back session after the show?
The talk back session is a great container for any of the feelings that may come up for you during the show. You get to ask me, the playwright/performer questions. The venue and I invite a local woman warrior (business leaders, politicians, academics, scientists, etc) up on stage with me post show. We talk about her relationship to themes from the play. You also have the chance to hear audience members ask questions or make statements that are meaningful to you too. It’s a very common and widely popular value added experience.
Thanks for taking the time to read the Shield Maiden FAQ! See you in the theatre. Skol!
