Brazen

French artist Pénélope Bagieu’s picture book, adapted for the stage, tells us about women who dared to be different, independent and brave.

Annette Kellerman, swimmer and actress; Giorgina Reid, saviour of the lighthouse; Cheryl Bridges, athlete; Peggy Guggenheim, admirer and collector of contemporary art; Temple Grandin, animal behaviourist; Clémentine Delait, bearded woman, and Agnodika, gynaecologist from ancient Greek. Their desires, yearnings and work often came with a high price tag attached. They risked a lot and left visible or subtle marks on history.

The portraits of fearless women are a journey through the history of the pioneers in different professions, inventions, arts and rebellions. They are a voyage through the female soul, full of fear, courage, obstacles, catharsis and a fight for the right to the existence of their own identity, with which they could help the well-being of themselves and others. It is a humorous, lively journey full of empathy seen through social, historical, political, public and intimate perspectives, which advocate for otherness as a value in life, history and personal growth.

The text was adapted by Larisa Javernik, an expert in young adult literature, and the director Mateja Kokol. The staging intertwines different types of theatre – drama, musical and physical – and genres, from epic, tragedy, and comedy to drama, whether period, adventure or romantic. It is aimed at teenagers, but also older rebels. It is interesting for girls as well as boys, who through the production discover a complex soul, that perhaps is not that much different from their own. Perhaps it simply had to be, throughout history, slightly more “brazen”.

Tragic and comic moments in the history of the female soul can help and inspire girls and boys understand themselves and the world around them. 

Mateja Kokol