Do you remember the last time you really wanted to do something but were too scared? Do you remember the feeling of fear and uncertainty as you sat in self-doubt wondering if you could really do it and then the overwhelming satisfaction and reward you felt afterwards? Eight talented ladies took to the stage last fall despite their fear to try something new and this is what happened:
With Canadian playwright Janet Feindel’s A Particular Class of Women, the ladies of NeverYouMind Productions decided to jump straight in at the deep end, revealing both their company and themselves on stage, in the most literal sense of the word, as strippers. As the audience entered the dark underworld of The Cabaret Circus, the ladies took to the stage one by one, baring their souls, their hearts and their bodies to tell a very human story that connected with men and women of all ages and backgrounds.
With passionate and heart-felt responses in hand and the desire to push themselves further, the Maple Ridge-based company has decided to bring back the show for a spring run, with hopes to take the production across Canada.
Written by Janet Feindel, who spent 10 years as a stripper, A Particular Class of Women is a revealing composite of life in the skin trade.
It was inspired by a 1985 court case in Ontario, where a stripper was raped at knife-point. The presiding judge paid little attention to the crime because the victim “was from a particular class of women whose profession it is to promote lust.”
Featuring raw monologues, the play offers a realistic look at the lives of these often marginalized women.
Showtimes
A Particular Class of Women is at Presentation House Theatre, 333 Chesterfield Ave, North Vancouver until Feb. 23 and at Inlet Theatre, 100 Newport Dr., Port Moody from March 6-8. For tickets and show times, visit neveryoumindproductions.com or call 604-551-0418.
