About the Production
I was first introduced to Jean Genet’s ‘The Maids’ by a professor who recommended it to me as a curious piece of theatre that explored a complex relationship between sisters, something I myself was working to portray in a piece I was writing. In the first reading I was so swept up in the words and the complexity of the dialogue that I reached the end of the play without having any idea what had actually happened. I then read the introduction included in my copy of the play written by the Paul Sartre. Sartre, who I would later find out was a close friend and supporter of Genet, wrote about how the play was Genet’s investigation into the ideas of identity and the play between those who have the privilege of an independent identity and those whose entire sense of self and understanding of their identity only exists in relation to others.
Genet wrote about identity and feeling of disconnect between ones identity and ones true self from the perspective of a closeted gay man in the 1930s. Although I could not relate directly to that, I immediately connected with the idea of feeling disconnected from identity and the fragility of an identity that only exists relatively. On my second reading of the play, I was able to push past the complex dialect and lofty phrases and was able to see the characters and the general plot. Claire and Solange, sisters and co-maids, are two sides of the same coin: both hating and taking comfort and delight in their circumstances. Their characters are almost interchangeable, highlighted by the constant confusion of their names, reflecting the instability of their identities. They are sisters only because of the existence of the other. They are maids only because of the existence of the madame. This instability of identity makes them simultaneously afraid and afforded an incredible freedom. When the madame is not around and that element of their identity is removed, they can be anyone and do anything. This freedom leads to the ceremony in which they pretend to kill the madame. To kill the madame is an event that could only ever happen in fantasy, however, as it would also result in the destruction of their identity as the maid, thereby killing their central identity.
The structure of the play overall fits in one decisive night. Claire and Solange go through their usual ritual of pretending to kill Madame but never reach the final moment as they must prepare for Madame to return from her night out. They clean up and receive a call that the Monsieur has been released from jail and wants to see Madame. Claire reveals that she is the reason the Monsieur was put in jail and Claire and Solange decide the only way they won’t lose their positions and go to jail is if madame never finds out. So, Claire decided to poison Madame and actually fulfill the ceremony. The Madame returns and is especially affectionate, if condescending, until she finds out the Monsieur has called. She sends Solange to find a taxi so she can go to him, all the while admonishing the girl’s intellect. Claire attempts, weakly, to get her to take the poison, but Solange arrives with the taxi and the madame leaves. Solange scolds Claire for not trying hard enough and Claire becomes distraught. Solange decides they should go on with their ceremony and enjoy their last night before Madame discovers what they did. She gets really into the ceremony and causes Claire to lose her nerve and become distraught. Claire leaves to lay down and Solange fantasizes about what she would say to the police officer when he found the dead Madame. Claire returns, fortified and insists that Solange finish the ceremony and kill her. Claire dies as Solange reflects on how they were essentially killed by Madame in spirit long ago.
It is not a light or happy story and this initially put me off. However, the more I tried to not think about it the more I realized how I was lingering on the plight of these girls who felt so stripped of their identity and personal power the only escape was death. I wondered how life today reflects these issues more clearly then ever with the increasing presence of an online identity in our everyday lives. How would an online identity have helped or, more likely, amplified these girls understanding of their own identities? The identity of their madame? Although the play has been done in more contemporary structures, I was really struck by the concept of integrating digital and social media into our understanding of this classical story.
About the Director
Hadley McCollester is a Senior at Bowdoin College majoring in Visual Storytelling in Contemporary Culture. Her passions are animation, film editing, and baking. She has worked for many years with online media, creating short documentary films and editing a short narrative film produced in Prague, but this is her first experience directing a play.
Inquiries to hkmccoll@bowdoin.edu