The play was centered on the story of a wife Mary Girard thrown into an asylum by her powerful Philadelphia businessman husband Stephen Girard. Mary married Stephen at age 16 and had an affair with another man. To hide his humiliation from society, Mary was declared legally insane by her husband when she got pregnant by her lover. According to Robertson, “Stephen Girard's concern for his wife's welfare was genuine, he sought every known medical solution, and even after Mary was committed, he ensured that she was afforded every luxury possible.”
In the first scene, Mary is locked in a “tranquilizer chair” in the asylum as the "furies" dance around. Each fury also plays another person in her life: the warder, her mother, her husband's mistress, Mr. Phillips, who runs the asylum, and Mrs. Hatcher, whom Mary's baby was given to, unfortunately, the baby died a month after birth.
The Award-winning UIL One Act Play, The Insanity of Mary Girard, is a drama of abuse and lack of power of women, how men use monetary power to control a woman’s fate, both physically and mentally, and the society's treatment of the mentally ill. In today’s society, the story still exists, men still believe they have control over women. Through this play, we also viewed the stigmas that come with someone who is insane.
The high school students who played the characters did great and everybody enjoyed the play. I can see how these kid's dedication to theater paid up after the superb performance. The students did their best to make the show a success. The play left the audience with the question of whether Mary was insane or not. The production brought the audience to the evilness of men and society and the plight of its victims. The director guided the cast effectively on each character they portrayed.
The Award-winning UIL One Act Play, The Insanity of Mary Girard, is a drama of abuse and lack of power of women, how men use monetary power to control a woman’s fate, both physically and mentally, and the society's treatment of the mentally ill. In today’s society, the story still exists, men still believe they have control over women. Through this play, we also viewed the stigmas that come with someone who is insane.
The high school students who played the characters did great and everybody enjoyed the play. I can see how these kid's dedication to theater paid up after the superb performance. The students did their best to make the show a success. The play left the audience with the question of whether Mary was insane or not. The production brought the audience to the evilness of men and society and the plight of its victims. The director guided the cast effectively on each character they portrayed.
