Girlhood

Written by Hailey Colwell (age 11) and Hailey Colwell (age 21)

Directed by Joe Allen

In February 2015, Hailey Colwell found a journal she wrote as a fifth grader exactly 10 years ago. "Febuary 3, 2005. Saint Paul ..." it began, misspellings and all. Transcribing the diary into a word document, she revisited the basketball games, disagreements with her little brother, and lots and lots of community theater rehearsals that made up her 2005. Taking snippets from the diary and interlacing them with fictional scenes inspired by life today, a new story emerged: one about growing up as a young writer who someday wanted to be a grown-up writer.

Girlhood is a trip through time. It explores the different selves we can be at different points in our lives, and how we would interact with one another if we had the chance to come face to face. All of the young girl's lines come directly from the journal and are truly a kid's words. (To any friends and family who see this, we're sorry if we embarass you, but it's been 10 years. Try to roll with it). Her 21-year-old self takes us through scenes that reflect her childhood ambitions filtered through the passage of time, the dulling of her hopes, and her unexpected search for the optimism and energy she once let loose on the diary pages.

Supported by a multi-generational ensemble, Girlhood is a new take on literary adaptation. Much like the film Boyhood, it plays with collecting footage through time, but with the gifts and limitations of theater. It is also a chance for us to laugh at the silly things we once said, once thought, once did, but no longer do because we are much too cool for that now. Or are we?

This show contains a few "swears," but is otherwise appropriate for kids.