--**Contains spoilers about the film Wonder Woman**

Confession time: I have never read a Wonder Woman comic book. I have never seen the Wonder Woman TV show. My ignorance of comic book characters, lore and universes is probably second only to my ignorance of professional sports (hockey is still happening? STILL????) and I regularly make my more in-the-know friends shake their heads in consternation with my confusion of the DC and Marvel universes.

That being said, I was still pretty darn excited about the fact that, after 76 years, Wonder Woman was getting her own live-action feature film because, as our own Erin Carr said, representation matters. I mean, how many Batman reboots does it take to get to the center of Bruce Wayne's brooding? I don't need to fork over $15 every two years to see the same story retold with more explosions and worse acting (sorry, Ben Affleck - stick to directing). But a film exploring the backstory of a different, under-represented character who happens to be a woman? In the words of Fry, shut up and take my money.

Because of my general ignorance of Wonder Woman, any expectations or skepticism I had of the film were hinged on broader concerns of how Hollywood would treat her as a female character. Would she be oversexualized? Would she somehow be undermined by the male characters? Would there be some bullshit love story because we all know that all women really want is a dude with a strong jawline to sweep them off their feet, saving the world be damned?

Those concerns turned out to be both founded and unfounded. Sure, Wonder Woman’s costume is short and tight, but it actually provides more coverage than Lynda Carter’s costume from the 1970’s TV show, and it’s undeniably more functional than the more period-appropriate clothes Diana tries on during the London shopping spree scene. Additionally, Patty Jenkins’ direction doesn’t fetishize Diana’s body – I can’t recall a close-up of a heaving bosom or slow-pan of Gal Gadot’s statuesque frame. The male characters may be initially struck by Diana’s beauty, but they quickly learn that there is a hell of a lot more beneath the surface.

Likewise, the male characters quickly learn that their attempts to undermine her, however well-intentioned, are unnecessary and ill-advised, which is a pleasant subversion of expectations. Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) starts off the film by mansplaining war to an Amazon warrior goddess, but by the end, when she is locked in her epic final battle with Ares, the God of War (Professor Lupin! Say it ain’t so!), he knows there is nothing he can do for her that she can’t do for herself, again subverting the insinuation that, even though she’s a superhero, she still needs a man to bail her out.

And as for that love story? Yeah, it’s there. In the words of Liz Lemon, "Commencing eyeroll sequence." It's not the main focus of the plot, so I'll at least give it that. If they're going to continue shoehorning romantic storylines into the plots of future Wonder Woman features, here's hoping that they use them to explore Diana's bisexuality next time.

But what I really want to talk about is the way Wonder Woman shows war through a woman's eyes. The movie is set in the last days of World War I, which at the time was known as "The Great War" and the "War to End All Wars." While Diana has been told stories of war and trained for war her whole life, her arrival in the trenches is her first real exposure to actual warfare, and her immediate response is "Holy shit, this is awful, why do people do this to each other? How do we save these innocent lives from this hellish destruction?" (I'm paraphrasing, of course.) My point is, Diana enters the field of battle and sees the human toll of war, something that is often lost in movies told from a male perspective, whether they are superhero or actual war movies. In Wonder Woman, Steve Trevor represents that point-of-view - he is also on a mission to stop the war, but he's not going to let a little thing like innocent civilian casualties get in his way. As is often the case in superhero and war movies, these innocent lives lost are collateral damage, an unfortunate sidenote in the hero's journey to save the world. But it's Diana who points out, these people are the world. If the mission is to stop the war to save humanity, you actually have to give a fuck about humanity. And mind you, this is not a sheltered, squeamish little lady offering naive morals in the face of massive destruction; this is warrior goddess who has been training for slaughter and self-defense since she could walk. 

I'm reminded of something my mother used to say: "If women were in charge, there would be no wars, because no mother wants to send her child into battle." Sure, that's an overarching statement in many ways, but I think it speaks to the heart of why Diana sees war in a different perspective than her male counterparts. Too often in movies and life, we lose sight of what the human cost of war actually is. Diana shows that you can be fierce, and fight for justice and peace, but ultimately, if we're not fighting to preserve the dignity and safety of human life, what are we fighting for?

-- Kristen Scatton

This is not your ordinary superhero. And it's not one to be skipped.

This past Thursday night, I went to see the midnight showing of Wonder Woman. Now a little bit about me, I've been obsessed with Wonder Woman since I was nine years old when I received my first Wonder Woman comic - the August '87 comic by George Pérez. I was mesmerized. This version emphasized her strength and the importance of mythology in her backstory. It gave her spirit depth and showed a woman who was fearless rather than just attractive. Wonder Woman is what inspired me to dive deeper into the storytelling of comics/graphic novels, study stage combat in high school and ultimately begin this company with Carly. Wonder Woman was not a sex symbol, but rather a true symbol of hope through adversity.

When this movie was initially announced, I was skeptic. How would they bring this warrior to life? Would Hollywood over-sexualize her as they had so many other heroines? I have seen my share of superhero films. Well, actually, I've seen several people's share of superhero films. So I am no stranger to the transition from comic to screen and the adjustments made in backstories. However, with the current state of the world, this particular backstory needed to click. We need to see someone raised with strong morals who fights with hope, not just because they can skill-wise, but because it's the RIGHT thing to do. Our children need a role model of a human who uses all skills, whether super or not, to help the world become a better place.

Thanks to the brilliant direction by Patty Jenkins, my fears became just vapors in the wind. Jenkins brought this warrior to life in way that hadn't been done before. Wonder Woman, known as Diana Prince, is a princess on Themyscira - an island of Amazonian female warriors - and from an early age has the fire to protect those she loves. The kids in our country right now need to see that they can play a positive role in helping better the world. That no matter their gender, race, religion, sexuality or ethnicity, if you are determined, you can change the course of history.

It cannot be put into words how impactful it is to see a woman in a powerful position, being treated with the respect she deserves, due to her strength. I can only hope that young girls seeing Wonder Woman come to life, will realize that the glass ceiling is only there to be shattered. 

Change their minds and change the world. 

​-- Erin

​Q: Why do you feel this story needs to be told right now? This story is at once timely and timeless. The process of grieving a loved one, worrying about what the future holds, the decision to stay where everything is familiar versus venturing into the wider world...these are all part of the human experience. But the opioid epidemic, fueled by the over-prescribing of opioid-based painkillers, is something that has been growing in the U.S. for years, to the point where it is affecting people of all genders, races, ages, economic backgrounds and geographic locations. The first step in getting people to address this as the public health crisis it is, is to make people understand that this can happen to anyone, with devastating consequences.
 
Q: What's the approach to telling this story? In a lot of ways, this was an easy to play to write, since it's rooted in my own personal experiences of losing a loved one suddenly, and living in a small town that felt familiar and comforting, yet horribly restrictive at the same time. I wanted those experiences to inform the characters, the setting, and the overall tone of the play. I also wanted to challenge myself to grow as a playwright, which was the impetus for the play's structure, which shifts back and forth in time, and is almost like two plays happening simultaneously. We see Jimmy alive, as well as the aftermath of his death, so how do those two storylines inform each other? What clues do we get, and how do they build tension? At its core, it's a pretty straightforward story, but I didn't want to tell it in a straightforward way.
 
Q: What's the process in getting this story onto its feet? My favorite part of being a playwright is getting into the room with the director and actors and seeing the words take on a life of their own. There really is a certain magic that happens when the ink on the page becomes actual dialogue and actions. And nine times out of ten, the actors and director make it so much better than I could have ever imagined. That's the beauty of collaborative arts - it takes a little bit of the pressure off, because I know as long as there are smart actors and smart directors working on a piece, they will find layers and moments and emotions that enhance it so much. In this particular case, working with Carly as the director is great because we've known each other forever, so I trust her completely, and feel very open and comfortable working with her.  Since we're from the same hometown, she also inherently understands the world this play is set in, which is also a huge benefit.
 
Q Any additional thoughts on some of the themes of the play? Whether that's addiction, toxic masculinity, class warfare, clash between conservatives and liberals, etc. One of the important functions of theatre, in my opinion, is to expose us to the unfamiliar, and show us what we still have in common as human beings despite our differences. This play is set in rural Northeastern Pennsylvania, which is only two hours and 100 miles north of Philadelphia, but could very well be on a different planet. This disconnect became more evident than ever to me during the election last year, when everyone in my Philadelphia circles thought there was no way Trump would win, while two hours north in my hometown, I saw street after street where every lawn had a "Trump/Pence" sign on it. This play doesn't deal with the election, but I hope it demonstrates the different mentality and culture of this place, while also shining a light on what emotions and experiences are universal to all of us.

I grew up on Disney. Whether they were fairies, royalty, pirates or animal sidekicks, I was a fan. But I always struggled with my love of the Disney Princess. I wrote several essays on the female position in Disney films, including the role of the absent mother, the constant search for 'happily ever after' and lack of character development.

I grew up during the time where Ariel and Belle reigned. So my generation felt as if we had "better princesses" as role models. But at the same time, both of these characters' stories revolved around romance and discovering their happily ever after. Then I decided to dig deeper into each Disney princess. As my god-daughter was growing up, and watched Cinderella for her first time, she didn't notice the desire for the ball or handsome prince. Instead she saw kindness and courage. One of my best friends then confided that she always looks to Snow White when she's struggling because she was the example of hope through despairing times. So maybe I was just looking from one-sided point of view? Plus, that was the time we were living in and the view of the woman.

Then we enter the 2010s and we are introduced to Brave. In this Pixar/Disney film, although Merida doesn't have a romantic entaglement, she is pushed to choose her husband to rule rather than rule on her own. And then Frozen came into our world. In this film we have our first Disney royalty that doesn't desire romance, but rather self-acceptance in the character of Elsa. However, in the movie we still see another woman being developed around her love for a man and romance. So I still viewed this as unfortunate, that even at this time we have to choose between being a career woman or part of a relationship. 

However, this past fall Disney has broken their Disney Princess routine with Moana. In a breath-taking film we meet a three-dimensional character driven by her passion, love of family and self-exploration. Moana is the daughter of the chief and desires to explore beyond the reef. However it is forbidden by her parents and Moana seems to accept her role in leading her people via-landlock. But when her island starts to crumble and die, she follows her inner desire to take to the sea, no matter the consequences. She is following her own passion while at the same time working to better the greater good. THIS is where we are as women. 

Yes, we can have love. Yes, we can have romance. But we are more than that. We are not defined by a single person or relationship in our life, but rather by all of them and how we respond to the hardships we face on our own path. And I applaud Disney for at last bringing this to the screen and into our main stream culture.

​-- Erin Carr