Secret Girl Stuff is a series of confessional vignettes, all focused on the female experience. Written and directed by Mikaela Corrigan (Cats in the Cupboard Productions), the play reflects on what it means to be female, covering topics from puberty to first sexual encounters, crushes to pregnancy.

Corrigan’s direction to the actresses is sharp, as she gives a voice to the complicated journey of girlhood to womanhood. Working within the simple staging of a typical teenage bedroom, the play delves into heavy topics: nudes, toxic relationships, postnatal depression and endometriosis, amongst other issues. However, there are also touching thoughtful vignettes, especially the scenes exploring mother/daughter dynamics. Actress Madison Hough perfectly captures the essence of a complicated tug of love mother/daughter relationship with the words “I hope you have a daughter just like you”. The words are repeated again and again, throughout the time span of the two, shouted in anger and whispered in hope, taking its meaning from adoration to volatility, and finally the return to gratitude and love. It’s a beautiful scene that evokes longing and a few audience tears.

This is a play which girls and women will relate to, covering all the moments that females go through, but perhaps a few too many. With so much content, performed in short sharp bites, it felt like this play was trying to cover too much. Was it necessary to explore every single issue that a female might face?

Written by a woman, performed by five women and one man, made for everyone. 4 stars.

For tickets visit Flight Path Theatre