At the beginning of the year, like many of us, I had a few different plans for projects that have since changed or been cancelled all together. With teastain theatre we were planning a devised show: WOOF. Inspired by a particularly uneventful but frustrating experience of being cat-called last year.
Three of us were wandering down a quiet road, mid afternoon in November, it was daylight. Then we were greeted with a seemingly young man on a bike who called a variety of unflattering remarks at us. In this particular situation we felt unthreatened so one of us called back at him saying: 'Do you know how scary that can be? Don't do it.' She was very eloquent, and he sheepishly cycled away.
This sparked an urge to hear more stories, get talking to people, and particularly women and non-binary, who had experienced similar or completely different events, and devise a performance which offered a question: why does this happen and how can we prevent it? How is this form of on street harassment so normalised in our everyday?
Little did any of us know what would happen this year, and so with these plans at a pause I asked: how can we still start these conversations? So, I have spent some time with the teastain team considering and creating an online call out. Simply asking: do you have a story you would like to share about an experience with cat-calling / wolf whistling?
In a time where our opportunity for exercise is a walk around the block, how many of us still experience this form of on street harassment even now? I unfortunately wouldn't be surprised to hear of many.
Having just shared the call-out I am hopeful that I can engage with lots of people and begin to develop a project and performance piece - in whichever form this may take in the future.
So I guess I'll end with this, do any of you have thoughts on cat-calling / wolf-whistling in it's many forms?
Or ideas / experience on creating devised theatre digitally?
Would love to hear your thoughts on the project itself, the themes and creating digitally.
teastain theatre collaboratively create and develop theatre that empowers and entertains: feminist, playful and inquisitive.
Find out more about our project - WOOF at our website https://teastaintheatre.weebly.com
For a closer look at my recent work, I have launched a portfolio website: www.rebeccamcgreevy.com/
I wasn't sure how to add to this, as I don't think this has ever happened to me... 🤔
Although, interestingly, my subconscious thought was 'No, this has never happened to me, I'm not pretty enough to be bothered in this way'...which, now I think about it, is a troubling reaction in and of itself, as this sort of thing is usually NOT really a compliment.