Written by Lauralee Robinson, Staff Reporter
What happens when friendship, identity, competition, and the pressure to fit in all combine? Audiences will have the opportunity to find out in Roanoke College’s Horse Girls. This production is a classic coming-of-age play that takes a humorous but authentic look at childhood and the complicated circumstances that come along with it.
Horse Girls follows a group of young girls that would ride-or-die in the world of all things Horses. However, this play is about more than riding and passion for horses. Through the characters’ relationships, rivalries, dreams, and insecurities, the story explores what it means to grow up while trying to find your place among others.
One of the most notable facts about this production is the way the story combines humor, while also brilliantly intertwining more serious notes of the struggles that comes with pre-teen life. Lauralee Robinson, the actress playing Ashleigh notes, “It’s amazing after reading through this play how much I related to some of these characters’ stories. Growing up is hard, especially if you’re facing ridicule from your closest friends.” Friendship is complicated at any age, but during adolescence, relationships can feel especially crucial. A simple disagreement or embarrassing moment can create a much bigger impact, and as audiences can see in Horse Girls, drive someone into panic and madness.
For director Maggie Raker, Horse Girls has also provided the opportunity to learn more about the theatrical process. While asking her what she learned about directing her first production, Raker reflected on her experience:
Q1: What was something that you learned about the theatrical process while directing your first production?
Raker: When directing, you learn how collaborative the theatrical process is. I think everyone in the theater knows that to some extent, but you really learn how many people it truly takes to put together a production.
Q2: What makes Horse Girls different from other coming-of-age plays?
Raker: Horse Girls can be easily underestimated, because it is a coming-of-age story, but we really don’t see accurate portrayals of these stories until the early 2010’s. There are certain narratives around painting women that are “ideal” as objects of attraction and there isn’t a shift in this narrative until around the time Horse Girls was written. The author Jenny Rachel Weiner didn’t hold any punches when trying to break these narratives with humorous notes.
Q3: How did you approach balancing the humor with the darker or more serious moments?
Raker: It was important to talk with the actors and say that the characters are not in a comedy. The scenarios that they are in are very serious to them and there is a logical reason behind their actions.
Come see Roanoke College’s production of Horse Girls, and step into the world of friendship filled madness. You might come for the horses, but you will leave thinking about your friendships and the journey of finding out where you belong.
