FEMOID. at The Blue Room Theatre is a feminist three-hander that explores the intrusive and destructive nature of prevalent misogyny, which exists and continues to grow online. We meet three endearing and naïve friends—Rory, Piper, and Olive—who are nearing the end of their schooling journey and are naturally inquisitive about sexuality. We see snippets of the girls as they become increasingly impacted by the predatory and threatening behaviour of men, which is normalised until it results in the most extreme and devastating ending.
From the get-go, we see the strong acting chops this trio (consisting of Natasha Pearson, Iris Warren and Roisin Wallace-Nash) possesses. Each person excels in their performance and demonstrates that fiercely tight bond that is only really seen and felt in female friendships. They’re beautifully written characters, infused with light and humour, and feel like real people we can identify with in our own lives.
FEMOID.
AV is used at regular intervals throughout the show, often with multiple edits playing at a time, consisting of real news reports, memes, and other content from incel and other extremist forums. Intermittently, definitions of terms used in these forums are displayed above the performers throughout the scenes. I learnt some disgusting new terms such as ‘Stacys’, ‘Beckys’, and even the word ‘Femoid’. While there is mention by the characters of sexual assault and covert, non-consensual filming of women—which is then posted online—and eventually femicide, we don’t hear the characters explicitly discuss these forums and acts in detail. They’re primarily presented to the audience through AV, which is used as a tool to provide context as to how and why acts of violence happen to women, demonstrating through these characters how common these events are, ranging on a scale of severity.
I appreciated writer Iris Warren’s presentation of these themes and events. She didn’t feel the need to have the characters explain them in gritty detail or act them out. Rather, we see the fallout of these acts and how the friends continue to rally behind each other unconditionally despite them. What felt absent from this approach was the tension or the feeling of persistent intimidation that all women can certainly relate to. It’s the sense of always being on alert—never letting a friend walk home or back to their car alone, sharing your location with friends “just in case”. I think back to how I felt as a teen, the same age as these characters. Did I have the same concerns for my safety online and in public as I do now? I think I did. Although it’s heightened over the years, likely from the rise of these online forums, my friends and I have always felt that sense of never being safe. As these characters experience more acts of misogyny and their trust in the world and in men is increasingly violated and eroded, we do see some of these concerns come through, but they’re just missing a bit of force.
The show’s simple yet effective visuals really come into effect at the end of the show. Three separate steps used throughout the performance, one with the word ‘Olive’ written on it in chalk, are pushed together to create a tombstone. Wildflowers that had been hanging on the back wall are then placed on her grave to create a sombre and devastating visual of gender-based violence.
FEMOID. is on at The Blue Room Theatre from Jan 28-Feb 1.