Laura Jackson doesn't think she should have to choose between being a proud feminist and being a successful playwright.
The writer and performer of the one-woman play, Handle It, says that she has received advice in the past not to label herself as a feminist. "My instinct was that I am proud to be feminist, I am proud to be a playwright. So why not call myself a feminist playwright? But several people contacted me, telling me they felt I was pigeonholing myself, that perhaps I shouldn't advertise it."
This negative attitude towards feminism can speak to a more insidious culture of misogyny and devaluing women's experiences, which is just one issue that Handle It tackles.
The play tells the story of Kelsey, a university student who is thrown into turmoil when compromising photos of her are posted to social media without her permission. Performed entirely by Jackson, the play unfolds through six monologues from different characters and perspectives, accompanied by projections of social media – interrogating the invasiveness of technology into our lives, and the capacity social media has for facilitating immoral and sexist behaviour.
Jackson feels strongly that the impact of the internet and technology as tools for sexual harassment and the degradation of women is an issue that needs to be at the forefront of feminist action. This was her inspiration for writing Handle It.
"I felt that this was an important conversation to have, as our relationships and intimacy are so impacted by technology: by social media, smart phones, pornography, dating apps, text messages," she says. "Often people send me articles about instances where horrific acts are worsened with the inclusion of technology – rapes are filmed and used as evidence to blackmail the victim, phones are used to film up teachers' skirts, social media is used to further humiliate victims of rape through sharing of pictures or even posing as the victim!
"When this is the case, when crimes are being committed against women, and are being aided and worsened through the use of social media, I think it is incredibly important that we talk about it: and this is where theatre can play a crucial role."
It's an interesting interrogation of the role that art can play in activism – Jackson's goal with Handle It is to spark a conversation, to provide a platform for people to start engaging with these issues in a meaningful way.
"Often, audience members have come up to me and said 'so what do we do?' For me, my goal is to give the audience something to think about," Jackson says. "If you want to move forward with issues like this facing Gen Y women, (and all women really!) I think it's just so important to listen to the young women around you – let them tell you what it's like."
This point comes across strongly with Jackson's decision to portray all of the voices in the play herself – using the medium of a young woman to deliver diverse perspectives on sexual harassment, social media and the sexism that pervades our attitudes towards women's bodies.
The capacity of Handle It to engage the public in these issues is strong, and interest in the play is growing.
"Many people have said to me that they think there is potential for Handle It to be performed in schools, for year 11 and 12 students, to give them a forum to discuss issues relating to their use of technology, as well as female male interactions and intimacy at that age," Jackson says.
The thought of young people engaging with performance without a television or computer screen guiding their view is an exciting one, especially if the purpose is to discuss these issues.
Handle It promises to be a powerful and thought-provoking play, with numerous layers of meaning to explore.
Handle It will be showing at The Street Theatre on March 13 and 14, 7:30pm, and March 15, 6pm. Tickets are $20 plus booking fee, through The Street Theatre's website.
