Synopsis
Set in the slaughterhouse at Deptford Cattle Market in the turn-of-the-twentieth-century, The Gut Girls portrays life for the women who worked
there...and it wasn't pretty.
The play takes us back to Victorian times, when women weren't supposed to be independent and Sarah attempts to paint a historically accurate picture of the ordinary women attempting to break free from phsical, social and economic restraints.
The
gut girls have financial independence thanks to their job - gutting
cattle. Some are equally adept with knives outside of their 13-hour day at work.
The
women drink (lots) and swear quite a bit too - until the intervention
of Lady Helena, who is on a mission to 'correct' their ways and retrain
them for domestic employment.
But the 'correction' only serves to destroy the women's souls.
The
women surrender their independence and spirit. Their story is an illustration
of women's battle for equality.
This play challenges traditional male representations of history by dramatizing
aspects of women's lives in past eras.
Sarah Daniels
Born on November 21st 1957 in London.
Sarah is a lesbien, feminist and British playwrite.
She has won two major awards: "Most Promising Playwright" award, and the George Devine Award for "Neaptide."
Daniels' plays generally revolve around feminist themes, with her 1980's
plays focusing on the injustices of a man-made world and her 1990's
plays focusing on how women joined together to face the forces opposing
them- female solidarity. One of her most common themes is
abuse and how women are rarely granted the opportunity to achieve
closure in these situations, something which is evident when examining
how Daniel's plays rarely have satisfying endings.
The Play History and Facts
"The Gut Girls" was first staged in 1988 at the South East London venue:
the Albany Empire, Deptford. Since
then it has been performed at numerous venues, most notably the Deptford
Dockyards from June 20- July 8, 2002 where it was described as a play
"to be recommended although it is not for vegetarians". This setting is notable because it is the actual setting
of the play and the location of the gutting sheds where the gut girls
worked.
According to several
sources, the setting and the characters in the play are historically
accurate to that of the actual slaughterhouses of Deptford in the
1900's. It is interesting to note that the woman or 'The Gut Girls' were
actual people and were well renowned around that area. At this
particular time in history woman had a lot fewer roles to play than they
do today as far as how they would provide for their families and
themselves. The Gut Girls however seemed to be one of the few
exceptions. These strong independent woman made more money in one week
working at the slaughterhouses than a house wife or maid might make in
an entire year! This was almost unheard of at this time as woman were
not considered money makers or providers for their families. After
seeing Sarah Daniels obvious interest in feminist issues, it is clear
why she chose these particular females to focus on for her play. Over
500 woman were employed at these slaughterhouses during this time. In the play, these formally independent woman were being forced
to live with a
more 'female oriented' role such as maids for the middle-upper class. It displays a rather early example
of what woman are indeed capable of as far as breaching their
dependence on men and surviving independently.
Reviews
British Theatre Guide - The Gut Girls Rum and Monkeys Production at The Space
Everthing Theatre - The Gut Girls Brockley Jack Studio Theatre
A Younger Theatre - The Gut Girls Rum and Monkeys Production at The Space
Helpful Links
http://hunt22230910.wikispaces.com/The+Gut+Girls
