A short one-act monologue that draws to attention to important issues around trauma and sexual violence. It’s a promising start that needs more development.Rating
Ok
Abigail is a one-act monologue play by Nelma Vapaa-Jää. Reimagining the relationship between John Proctor and Abigail Williams from Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, this short and snappy production reminds us that perhaps we have not come too far in terms of the treatment of victims of sexual violence.
Nelma Vapaa-Jää is both the creator and sole actor in Abigail. She delivers her monologue with emotional gravity, displaying a range of emotions from despair and sadness to anger and rebellion. The short run time of twenty minutes makes this juxtaposition seem stark and rushed. A slower character development is necessary to uphold the shift from traumatised victim to a vengeful reclamation of power.
The monologue focuses on the recollections of Abigail’s trauma, a victim of Proctor’s horrific assaults, as well as confessions and justification for her actions that later take place in The Crucible. If the witch is what they accuse her of, then the witch she will become. Emotionally raw, Vapaa-Jää does not shy away from a particularly heavy subject matter but draws attention to both its historical and contemporary treatment of victims of rape. The show would benefit from Vapaa-Jää making eye contact with her audience as she delivers her monologue directly to them; it would aid in building the emotional thrust of her tragic story.
Vapaa-Jää reminds us that this is not a rationale limited to history. Rather, this vilification and dismissal of victims of rape still perists today. A voiceover recounts recent statistics about victims, of how little is actioned against. She shows that women are still blamed for men’s inability to control themselves and how frequently they aren’t held accountable.
The short run time acts as a detriment to Abigail; there is a lot of space to elongate and delve further into her characterisation. The play is saying something very important and it is an idea worth developing further.
The show has completed its run at this year’s Camden Fringe
Written and developed by Nelma Vapaa-Jää
