The OU School of Drama’s “Oh, to Be Pure Again,” a story about teenage girls and their journey with Christianity, opens this Tuesday in the E. Frank Gilson Lab Theatre.
“Oh, to Be Pure Again” follows six teenage girls in 2010 as they navigate through a week at a Christian summer camp in rural Texas. The play is written by Atlanta-based playwright Kira Rockwell and directed by OU professor and performance area coordinator Judith Pender.
“It’s about young women trying to find their voices, their individual consciousness. They discover who they are and what they might have to offer,” Pender told the OU Daily. “And also, their beliefs about the nature of God and their relationship with God.”
Acting sophomore Miriam Worley plays Rachel, a homeschooled, religious 15 year-old whose mother recently passed away. Worley said the play explores the girls loving themselves, each other and their faith, while existing in a patriarchal religious society.
Set in a time before the #MeToo movement brought light to the pressure on women to be silent, Worley said that it is both a celebration and a critique of Christian faith and communities.
“It really brings us back to this purity culture and this burden that we put on girls to accommodate men,” Worley said.
Being Jewish and from Pennsylvania, Worley said her character, Rachel, is is a stark contrast from herself. While it can be challenging, she has enjoyed exploring the character.
Sophomore Miriam Worley and junior Kristen Dickey backstage rehearsing for the play, "Oh, to Be Pure Again." The play will open on Oct. 3.
“What's been so exciting about this show has been learning about this community I never experienced before,” Worley said. “I’m learning about both the bad parts and good parts of it that got people closer to their faith and helped them make beautiful friendships.”
Acting sophomore Sydney Bartolome plays Trina, a D1 volleyball prospect. Bartolome relates to Trina from playing sports in high school and having attended a Christian camp. She said that playing Trina has made her reflect on that time and taught her more about friendship.
“What I've learned the most is that it's really important to recognize the people who really care for you,” Bartolome said. “In the end, it’s them who are going to support you most in being comfortable in yourself.”
Those involved in the play have been in contact with Rockwell. They had a Zoom meeting with her the first week of rehearsals, and Rockwell came to watch a run-through of the play in person.
“I think it really strengthened the cast's commitment to the material, getting to meet the playwright and see what it meant to her and have her share those things with us,” Pender said.
Pender said that being able to work with the topic of girlhood, and teenage, feminine dynamics has been fun and is new territory for her. She also said that it’s important for the audience to understand that this is not a parody of Christian camps and that the quest these young women go on in the play is to be taken seriously.
“It is no small thing, the journey to womanhood, and it's difficult to be a young woman and have a voice and use that voice,” Dr. Pender said.
There are only two male main characters alongside the show’s six main female characters, so gender dynamics play a major role. Worley said that, in scenes of only female characters, when a male character enters the space, it intentionally changes how they interact with each other.
“This show examines girlhood and female friendships really well, and it's made me definitely think a lot about how men have affected female friendships in my life,” Worley said. “And it’s made me appreciate my community of women a lot more.”
Worley said that she’s excited for the audience to see the pop culture references in the play, as well as some movement pieces and heartfelt moments. She said she wants the audience to take away a trust and respect in the power of teenage girls.
“We see these young women uplift each other and come into their own identities and comfort each other and care for each other in a way that men cannot emotionally care for them,” Worley said.
Bartolome said that the audience gets to see the girls not only go on individual journeys, but also a journey together. As in real life, every girl has their own problems and insecurities, but they come together as they’re making their own discoveries.
“They’ll kind of confess these insecurities at the end, because they've reached a point of trust with these new friends that they've made,” Bartolome said.
“Oh, to Be Pure Again” opens at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3 in the E. Frank Gilson Lab Theatre and will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4-7, and 2 p.m. October 8.
Tickets are available in person at the Fine Arts Box Office or by calling the box office at (405) 325-4101. Additional information can be found online.
This story was edited by Emma Blakley. Sophie Hemker, Grace Rhodes and Nikkie Aisha copy edited this story.
