About the Play:

The Secret Life of Girls by Linda Daugherty. This powerful play is also available in this approved one-act version that examines the destructive and insidious world of teen cliques, rumours and girl bullying. Based upon interviews with girls on the giving and receiving end, the play highlights the impact of cyberbullying, and is by turns both humorous and heartbreaking.

When ordering, please specify the one-act version of The Secret Life of Girls. It is a frank, unflinching, timely play about the devastation caused by bullying. A window into the tumultuous world of a group of middle school girls is opened in this dramatization of the destructive effects of girls' bullying. The girls' attempts to deal with bullying in the form of gossipping, name-calling, exclusion, rumours, back-biting, cliques and manipulation as they struggle to find a friend, a place in the group and themselves range from humorous to heart breaking. Based upon interviews with hundreds of middle school and high school girls on the giving and receiving end of bullying, The Secret Life of Girls also dramatizes how bullying behaviours are facilitated by technologies such as cell phones, e-mail, chat rooms and instant messaging. A penetrating look into teenage angst, this exceptional play offers opportunities for insightful dialogue following each performance.

This one-act version of The Secret Life of Girls is an ideal choice for high school drama contests and one-act festivals.

Cast: 10 women, which may double to 9

What people say:

"This play is not about real life. It is real life … If you have a daughter under 18, you need to see this show. And if she's over 11, you need to take her with you. Linda Daugherty's powerful script …[is] what many say the theater should be—a moment for reflection about what's true and, in this case, dangerously hidden." — People Newspapers (Dallas, Texas)

"… totally sold out. [DCT] had to extend the run of The Secret Life of Girls to keep up with demand … [H]ealth professionals have jumped on board to participate in discussions that follow each performance. Linda Daugherty's world premiere … packs quite a shock." — The Dallas Morning News

"Take every female you know to see this play, then go somewhere and talk. It is a candid, stark, and artistically brutal look at bullying, peer pressure, self-abuse, and finding one's own value. … shocking and boldly written." — Better Than Broadway.com

"Playwright Linda Daugherty tells the truth of destructive dynamics, and she tells it with wisdom, compassion, and sensitivity. The Secret Life of Girls offers both insight and hope." — Rev. Dr. Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner, Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University

"This brave study of teen girl angst presents an unfortunately realistic and sobering view of what our kids are facing. Hopefully, the conversation Daugherty starts with The Secret Life of Girls will be continued in homes, schools, and communities, giving all of us a chance to respond and offer solutions to the difficulties that many of our young women face." — Susan Sugerman, MD, MPH, Girls to Women Health and Wellness, Dallas, Texas

About the Playwright:

Linda Daugherty is the award-winning resident playwright at Dallas Children's Theater (DCT). Her plays have been produced throughout the US and internationally in professional and community theatres, schools and colleges.