‘Emotional Creature’: a one-act adaptation

From May 19-21, Orange County School of the Art’s Studio Theatre will feature a one-act adaptation of Eve Ensler’s famous show “I am an Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World.”

From her first idea to its final performance, senior Alyssa Kardos is behind this.

She describes, “I didn’t want to do the original adaptation of the show and book because I wanted it to be more focused on the stories of sexual violence so I adapted it into a new show. I’m incredibly excited that I get to combine acting with an issue I feel so passionate about and that needs attention. Slavery isn’t over. I know of a lot of girls that can tell you that.”

Along the way, acting conservatory teacher Tess Lina helped Kardos adapt and present the one-act.

An already powerful and impactful show, Kardos decided to add another powerful and impactful aspect.

She explains, “Admission is free as we are accepting donations for the non-profit Room to Read.”

Based in San Fransisco, Room to Read is a nonprofit that focuses on supporting girls’ education and literacy skills. Currently, Room to Read has operations in Sri Lanka, India, South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania, Nepal, Bangladesh, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, all countries where women are not encouraged to attend school.

A one-act show written by Eve Ensler, “I am an Emotional Creature” features stories from girls around world.  Kardos explains that the show is “focused on the strength and courage of young women who suffer from global violence.”

First published as a book in 2010, Kardos describes her experience first reading it, “I was given the book ‘Emotional Creature’ by a family friend. I started it one night before bed and couldn’t put it down. I was so surprised by how different the lives of other girls my age or younger are. I was deeply saddened and frustrated that girls are forced into lives they don’t want while I was sitting comfortably in my bed reading about it.”

The social and political message of the show was a draw for some of the actors, too.

Sofia Nam, an actor in the show, describes that “I wanted to be a part of this project because of the message it presents. One of my goals as an actress is to incite conversation and be a catalyst for positive social change. This show allows me to present the story of a girl who lives in Palestine, in a society in which she feels pressured to become a suicide bomber and end her life. I am able to show the immense adversity she must face in her everyday life as well as her strength in overcoming it. This means so much to me.”

The show takes place at OCSA’s Studio Theatre, on May 19  at 5:00 p.m., May 20 at 7:00 p.m., and May 21 at 2:00 p.m. To attend the show, RSVP to tess.lina@gmail.com with the date and the number of tickets.

To learn more about “I am an Emotional Creature,” visit http://v-girls.org/; to join in with the mission of Room to Read, visit https://www.roomtoread.org.