Review: Emotional Creature brings girl power to CSU – The Cauldron

By: Ashley Mott

Women in today’s society are objectified, tortured and hurt, not only in their bodies but within their own minds.

“Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World,” a performance put on by the Cleveland State University’s Theatre and Dance department, touches on heart wrenching topics that will make even the darkest heart feel remorse. It is a work of art that needs to be shared with the world, for this play to touch the eyes and ears of only a few would be a crime.

The 11 women that bravely stood on the stage for a week, sharing stories of ladies around the world gave a voice to those that were previously silenced. Many of these students could relate to the stories that they took on as part of their role in the performance, and they brought their own real emotions to the stage.

During the performance, not a sound in the audience could be heard as they were entranced by the powerful and heartbreaking stories.

From body image, to rape and suicide, these girls took on topics that many shy away from. Society looks away from these situations because they don’t have the right words. Sometimes, not saying anything and simply showing support is more help than anything else.

This play showed how friends bond and help each other through tough times, but it also showed what can happen when they don’t. One story showed a girl who was pregnant as a teenager and the unwavering support that she received from her friends. However, on the opposite side, another young lady was confronted with having to face her own sexuality while being rejected by a best friend. Later on, what seemed to be the same girl was driven to take her own life after feeling insignificant in the eyes of her own parents when she needed to be heard.

It was topics like these that stole the audience’s breath away, making them see with new eyes for the first time the reality of the world that they live in.

News and media outlets are always showing horror stories on TV, but technology has desensitized the world to how horrible these stories really are. To have the lives of potentially hundreds of women laid out on the stage in their true light puts it into perspective how blind the people of nations across the world are to these mind numbing truths that so many women face.

The need to enlighten the lives of those across the world is a notion that can be agreed upon by all.

Nearing the end of the performance, the cast shouted that they were all emotional creatures, saying that women do not have to be quiet or scared and run and hide, that they did not need to calm down or be reasonable.

It was a testament that women across all ages could identify with. The need to be heard and show their thoughts in the best way that they know how, through emotion.

Rating: 10/10