Atypical's Debut Show!

The Maids by Jean Genet   

(in collaboration with Two Hour Traffic)

While their mistress is out of the house, Claire and Solange embark on a macabre roleplay, taking it in turns to act as Madame, and abusing each other as either servant or employer. The line between fantasy and reality blurs and the maids set themselves on a course towards murder.

Written in 1948, The Maids is based on the true story of sisters Christine and Lea Papin, who murdered their employers in 1933 in a particularly gruesome fashion. Its themes of oppression,non-conformity, self-destruction and the power of illusion still resonate today and are typical of Genet's work.

Jean Genet was born in Paris in 1910 and spent much of his youth instate institutions after being abandoned by his parents. As a young adult, hetravelled throughout Europe, embarking on alife of petty crime as a thief and a male prostitute. Imprisoned for theft in1943, Genet began writing novels, plays and poems, his antagonism to Frenchbourgeois society central in much of his work. The Maids is his second and most popular play.

Credits:                                                                                                                Audience Critiques:

Director:	Paul Barry	“A tour-de-force! Kiruna would make amurderous Lady Macbeth and Emma would be a wonderful Gertrude (Hamlet)
Producer:	Karen Boalch
Solange:	Emma J Cooper (now Hawkins)	“A feast for the senses. Pragmatic, poetic and devilishly funny" I highly recommend this modern interpretation to all.”
Claire:	Kiruna Stamell
Madame:	Beccy Iland	“I thought it was bloody fantastic – a great evening of entertainment, beautiful performances and an incredible eye fordetail throughout the subtext”