School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play
by Jocelyn Bioh
February 23 – 26, 2023
Direction: Katrinah Carol Lewis
Scenic Design: Tomya Pryor
Costume Design: Angela McLean
Lighting Designer: Nate Cain
Sound Design: Kyle M. Epps
Props Design: Melanie Michelle Kaiser
Technical Direction: Preston Spence
Assistant Direction: Denise Folley
Production Stage Manager: Josalyne Larson
Dialect Coach: Amani Dorn
Dramaturg: Poria Burleigh
Production Supervisor: Bonnie Brady
Production Photos
All production photos: by Aaron Sutten
About “School Girls”
VCUarts Theatre presents School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play by Jocelyn Bioh, a funny and fast-paced comedy centered around schoolgirls competing for the Miss Ghana Pageant in 1986. Paulina, the reigning queen bee at the Aburi Girls’ boarding school, has a squad of minions and her sights on pageant glory…but the arrival of Ericka, a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter—and Paulina’s hive-minded friends. Plans are foiled, secrets are spilled, and feelings are hurt as the girls navigate high school social dynamics infused with colorism, classism, and bullying.
“The nasty-teen comedy genre emerges wonderfully refreshed and even deepened by its immersion in a world it never considered.” – The New York Times
“[Bioh] knows how to craft bouncy, juicy dialogue that performers can have fun with. She also knows that there’s a sting inside all this fun.” – New York Magazine
VCUarts Theatre is delighted to have Guest Director Katrinah Carol Lewis directing this project. Lewis is an award-winning actress, singer, director, playwright, and historical interpreter based in Richmond, Virginia. She currently serves as the Artistic Director of Museum Theatre for Colonial Williamsburg where she has written, directed, performed and/or facilitated the development of numerous theatre pieces. Lewis is a proud of alum of VCUarts Theatre, earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2003.