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By John Posada

originally published: 09/17/2022 

(PLAINFIELD, NJ) -- Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center presented School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play at duCret School of the Arts in Plainfield from September 16-18. Beauty, ambition, and fierce humor combine in this comedy by Jocelyn Bioh loosely based on the movie Mean Girls. Photographer John Posada was on hand to take photos.

Set at a boarding school in Africa in 1986, School Girls dramatizes the infighting among a group of high school girls with their sights set on the Ghanaian competition that is a prelude to the Miss Universe Pageant.

In School Girls, Paulina, the reigning queen bee at Ghana’s most exclusive boarding school, has plans to compete in the Miss Global Universe pageant. But the arrival of Ericka, a new student with both talent and beauty, upsets the school’s social balance as she captures the attention of the pageant recruiter. This upbeat and biting comedy explores the universal similarities and differences facing teenage girls across the globe. School Girls was called “a gleeful African makeover of an American genre” by The New York Times. and “ferociously entertaining” by The Hollywood Reporter. 

Dragonfly, a nonprofit theatre company dedicated to diverse stories and casts, is presenting School Girls as the third play of a porch play series. This program is made possible in part by a 2022 HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) Grant from the Union County Board of County Commissioners. The porch plays, begun during the pandemic, give audience members opportunities to enjoy quality theater in an outdoor, parklike setting at duCret School of the Arts in Plainfield. 

School Girls is directed by Mimi B. Francis, who appeared last summer in Dragonfly’s porch play production of Having Our Say. It is stage managed by Jada Davis and stars Vivette Alson, Jolé Antoinetté, Emily Grace Dennis, Mariah Elliott, Keturah Ford-Walker, Melyssa Searcy, Gabriella Stewart, and Kayla Stewart.

 

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Advisory: School Girls is recommended for ages 13 and up. The competition for Miss Ghana is fierce, and the characters use adult language and have frank discussions of body shaming, classism, colorism and self-image. School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play has performances on Saturday, September 17 at 6:30pm; and Sunday, September 18 at 3:00pm.

Tickets are available for purchase online and at the venue. Performances will be outdoors at duCret School of the Arts, 1030 Central Avenue, Plainfield. Attendees should bring their own chairs unless it rains. In case of rain, the performance will be inside in the duCret auditorium–no chairs needed. Tickets are $15.00 for adults and $10 for seniors and students.   

Here are more photos from the production.

Dragonfly Multicultural Arts Center is dedicated to celebrating diversity through arts education, dramatic performances, and creation of new works.  Dragonfly is committed to reaching all the diverse communities of Central New Jersey with classes for all ages and backgrounds; performances that enlighten, entertain, and educate; and opportunities for development of new works.

John Posada is a New Jersey based photographer specializing in live theatre and music performances. For more than 10 years, John has photographed live music events where he mastered the techniques of timing and capturing fast moving action under challenging lighting conditions to capture that perfect moment that tells a story in a single image. Currently, John has photographed over 110 productions for over 70 different theatres and venues. Click here for John's website.