Elevator Girl

Elevator Girl was never meant to be more than an urban legend, a sexual revenge fantasy created by Vanessa and her graphic illustrator boyfriend. But when the comic superhero unleashes her boyfriend’s darkest fantasies, as well as a flesh-and-blood copycat, Vanessa must stop EG in her tracks—with the truth.

Playwright Perspective

Relationships—with coworkers, friends, lovers, or community—are built on narratives, and whoever controls the narrative controls the story. Controls the norm. Controls the power. Elevator Girl uses the lens of comic book tropes to demonstrate how difficult it is for women to change the story, and how difficult and essential it is for men—even well-meaning ones—to listen and commit to rewriting it.

There are uncomfortable scenarios we’ve all been a part of, even understand, because tropes can be shorthand for people to understand themselves and the world. This play was written years ago, pre-#metoo and #WhyIDidntReport. In their wake, it’s become clear that narratives surrounding sexual violence and even happy, functioning, healthy heterosexuality are still controlled by men, even as women are feeling more confident and empowered to speak out. Even really good men unintentionally speak over women, ignore them, and discredit them—not out of malice, but out of ignorance and generations of cultural conditioning.

Elevator Girl shows how easy it is for narratives to be taken over by the dominant culture, and how healing it can be to rewrite your story and speak your truth without obfuscation or apology. This is an ideal all women understand and want to put forth, with male allies by our side.

Who

Where

Urbanville.