The world premiere of “Falcon Girls” opens this week at the Yale Repertory Theater

“Falcon Girls” – a deeply vulnerable and comedic memoir – will be performed from October 10th to November 2nd.

Luciana Varkvisser

11:11 p.m., Oct. 14, 2024

Staff reporter

Courtesy of Pepi Kokab

On October 10, audiences were able to see the world premiere of “Falcon Girls” at the Yale Repertory Theater. For those who haven’t seen it yet, production runs until November 2nd.

Hilary Bettis’s memoir is set in rural Colorado and explores the ups and downs of a middle school girl in the ’90s. Steeped in comedy and drama, the play centers on the universal experience of “otherness” through the medium of a very specific story: A group of girls nicknamed the “Falcon Girls” compete in a Future Farmers of America (FFA) horse judging ) part competition. The play also explores experiences of sexual assault, the difficulties of being mixed race, and the turbulent nature of mother-daughter relationships.

“It’s a show about children who are invisible,” said playwright Hilary Bettis. “And yet they continue to fight for their friendships, for the causes they truly care about, and for finding their integrity and dignity in a world where people say teenage girls don’t matter.”

The play was presented to the House of Representatives by Amy Boratko MFA ’06, senior artistic producer at Yale Repertory Theater. As Boratko traveled the country seeing new plays at workshops and festivals, he happened upon a reading of this work at the Alley Theater Workshop.

After its discovery, the play was then workshopped and sponsored by the Binger Center for New Theater – a branch of the Yale Rep and Drama School that provides financial and developmental support for stage productions.

“[What is] “The extraordinary thing about producing or attending a world premiere is that something is made where nothing was done before,” said James Bundy, Yale Rep’s artistic director.

The play’s residency at Yale Repertory Theater will be the first time it will be performed on stage with actors and in front of an audience. The show is directed by May Adrales MFA ’06, who has directed approximately 30 world premieres throughout her career.

Adrales was drawn to Bettis’ work because of the skill and intimacy she brings to the story. The director said she also felt particularly connected to the piece because of her own experiences growing up in a rural area in the 1990s.

Despite the uniqueness of the piece, Adrales believes that every audience can find a way to identify with the work. “Falcon Girls” is about a loneliness that many others have experienced at some point in their lives.

“If you have ever felt “other” in any situation or been ashamed of where you came from and what made you who you are, this piece validates your life experiences – where you are, who you come from, the experiences “The things that have shaped you are vital to creating the unique, beautiful person that you are,” Adrales said.

Whether it’s dancing alone to Salt’n’Peppa, having petty arguments with your parents, or feeling irrevocably out of place in the world, there’s something in each of the Falcon Girls that the audience can relate to.

Amid tears of laughter and sadness, the viewer may find parts of themselves exposed through the story’s visceral intimacy and vulnerability.

The Binger Center for New Theater was founded in 2008.