School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play

by Jocelyn Bioh

1986. Ghana's prestigious Aburi Girls Boarding School.

Queen Bee Paulina and her crew excitedly await the arrival of the Miss Ghana pageant recruiter. It's clear that Paulina is in top position to take the title until her place is threatened by Ericka – a beautiful and talented new transfer student. As the friendship group's status quo is upended, who will be chosen for Miss Ghana and at what cost?

Bursting with hilarity and joy, this award-winning comedy explores the universal similarities (and glaring differences) facing teenage girls around the world.

This edition is published to coincide with the UK premiere at the Lyric Theatre, Hampstead, in June 2023.

Genres: Plays, School, Theatre, Read For School, Fiction, Africa, Drama

129 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 22, 2023

Reviews

[Gila Gila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to see this when it was playing, years back, in NYC; now I wish I’d seen it instead of reading it - wish I could see even a video of the show. School Girls seems made for TV, really, so much so that any production would be better than reading the script. It’s another pageant story, with somewhat more intrigue than most, in that it takes place in a Ghana boarding school. Disappointing then to find how rote the plot is, mean teenage girls plotting against the beauty queen, the impoverished student who lies about her background etc, very little new – but that said, the dialogue is poppy, if not popping, and the girls are alive enough on the page that I was certain they’d be more fun to watch than to read.

[Sean Kottke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Selected for the Read Harder 2021 challenge to read a realistic YA book not set in the U.S., UK, or Canada. The playwright's note indicates that the play is inspired by the saga of Erica Nego, a Minnesotan of Ghanaian heritage who was controversially named Miss Ghana in 2011. I wasn't aware of the controversy when it happened, but the story is the perfect crucible for an exploration of colorism. "Listen, the world has already decided ... You are better than me," says Paulina, the dark-skinned Regina George of Aburi Girls Boarding School, to Ericka, ligher-skinned and newly arrived from America and an instant threat to Paulina's popularity and intention to be the next Miss Ghana. All the knives come out, acidly exposing the pernicious effects of the global supremacy of Western standards of beauty and pop culture dominance.

[BoringBookLover]

Read this for school

[val · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The world has already decided you are better than me.” 😭💔

[Andrew Dittmar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This play has definitely been one of the most talked about new works to premiere in New York in the past few years. Getting your hands on a copy of the script is actually not hard, though it hasn't been made readily available yet. I got mine through the Dramatists Play Service in New York. I then almost immediately made photocopies and used it in my AP Literature class in conjunction with our unit on stories of the African continent. I loved it, my students really enjoyed it, I was able to share it with other teachers as well.

To put it briefly, this play is something of a hybrid homage/reimagining of the 2004 classic Mean Girls, set at a girls boarding school in Ghana in 1986. Though the similarities are many, and more than a few lines feel like little Easter eggs to Mean Girls fans, Jocelyn Bioh really does transform the story into something all her own (with more than a little bit of Miss Congeniality thrown in the mix).

The play centers around clique rivalries within the boarding school. Paulina, the play's Regina George, is the queen bee: pretty, blunt, and more than a little punitive in her command of her posse. Her reign, though, is threatened by two serious developments in the school: first, Ericka, a transfer student from America arrives, and is placed under Paulina and company's wings. Then, Eloise Amponsah, a recruiter for the Miss Ghana pageant, arrives, seeking potential competitors for the pageant. Paulina, who considers herself the natural frontrunner, has to handle being potentially upended by Ericka.

The play runs smoothly and rather quickly; the script itself often feels more than a little like a bit of an extended episode of an early 2000s sitcom. That is, of course, until the final scene, which seems to hit the otherwise-cheery comedy like a ton of bricks, and turns the comedy into a larger statement on colorism and the general understanding of the African continent by the rest of the world.

It is true that the largest praise in reviews of the play in the last few years (an off-Broadway premiere, a Los Angeles premiere, and an off-Broadway return engagement) have been towards the ensemble cast. When simply reading the script, some of the characters seem like rough sketches that require a skilled actress to turn them into fleshed out people. More than one review noted that Jocelyn Bioh's script doesn't say anything particularly new, which honestly is probably a fair assessment.

But all that said, School Girls succeeds because it feels fresh and not like a dreary retread of old tropes. Jocelyn Bioh might not be saying anything particularly new, but she succeeds in witty dialogue and fun characters. I was impressed enough to immediately order a copy of Bioh's other published play, Nollywood Dreams (I was also impressed, but less so), and I very much look forward to seeing what other works she produces!

Prior to the off-Broadway return engagement's closing, it was filmed for TV and I'm so excited to see it!

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

From all the accolades heaped on this, I suspect it is a play that - with the right cast - would PLAY much better than it reads. A local production at Berkeley Rep was cancelled due to the pandemic, so thought I'd read it instead. On the page, it is rather inert, and just seems to hit the same point over and over again - and ISN'T particularly funny (unlike its name checked progenitor), but I'd still like to give it the benefit of the doubt and hope to see it performed someday, to see if my suspicions are correct.

[Caitlyn Who · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this play on a whim and it didn’t disappoint. It puts into perspective colorism is a very simple way for the reader to grasp. Paulina was a character I hated, but understood in a way that made me feel for her. The dialogue doesn’t read play as much as I would like, more of a short film, but I still loved it.

[Aaron Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is fine. But it isn't very theatrical. It's more of a rehearsal of an idea than something with dramatic interest.

[Nadiyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play was a unique take on the famous film, Mean Girls. After watching the original Mean Girls movie, seeing the Broadway production, and reading this drama, I saw similar themes of body image expectations throughout all three. However, this version tackled the conflict around the racial standards of beauty. A fellow Goodreads reviewer, Sean Kottke, mentioned, "...the story is the perfect crucible for an exploration of colorism." I completely agree. Using this play as a catalyst to educate others on a controversial and deeply rooted issue, served as a great service to readers. On a style note, the humorous snippets of the story helped to balance out the gravity of the heavy topics and the sadness I felt when observing the lack of self-confidence from our main character, Paulina. Overall, this was a compelling and educational novel to read, with diverse perspectives I don't often see in literature.

[Kahmal Sealey · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read, more so when you realise it was modelled around a true story.

I love it when a play can almost be read ‘colourlessly’, you could easily interchange the nuances that in this case were tailored towards black people, and insert any race and their struggles. This definitely gives this play a timeless feel.

On that note, I love how Jocelyn Bioh created truth to the characters and their world with simple truths like not knowing ‘White Castle’ sold burgers, instead thinking it was an actual castle or that Walmart was a luxury boutique, illustrating their position in the world and their lack of knowledge in a very realist, non-judgemental way.

It’s also very upsetting to think of the prevalence of bleaching and colourism that runs rampant, but this play shone a light on it, again telling the truth of that world.

This play also definitely creates a conundrum – do you lie for the potential reward or tell the truth but have a guaranteed loss?

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This play is so brilliant. I highly recommend anyone who wants to educate themselves about colourism to pick this up and truly learn from it. I was truly saddened by the end, Paulina while very flawed in her actions did truly deserve so much better! F*** colourism! (As well as, Ericka, while she benefited from colourism, I know exactly how it feels to be her in her relationship with her family, it sucks). This play manages to perfectly capture how cut throat/ toxic secondary school environments and friend groups can be. Showing how universal the experience is whether you're in Ghana or you're in England.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the American film Mean Girls, a white girl returns to the states after living abroad in Africa and has to navigate a relationship with the dominant mean girls clique. This play turns the tables, bringing a light-skinned African girl home to Ghana after living in the United States, but she also has to figure out how to navigate the local mean girls as a pageant approaches.

This isn't quite as funny as the American film or musical, but it still has plenty of humor and the drama and social commentary are deeper than that of an American teen film. With eight parts, all for black women, this is an unusual and worthwhile addition to the stage repertoire.

[Tom Romig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recently saw but, alas, didn't fully hear a performance of the play at the Round House Theatre in Bethesda. (We were in the balcony using less than sterling hearing devices.) So, I got the script to read and I must say that I was put off by the unrelenting insults meted out by main mean girl Paulina. And the play struck me as incomplete, with the meanness often being gratuitous and the clash between Paulina and newly arrived rival Ericka being unresolved.

[Sarah Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a class assignment and have to say I enjoyed it. I've watched the Mean Girls movie with my daughter and this book reflects that, along with the concept of colorism. I like that it is loosely based on the real story of the 2011 Miss Ghana pageant.

[Sydney Mulhall · Rating 3 out of 5]

this play was fine. I felt pretty neutral towards it. It was a very similar parallel to Mean Girls. There is an important message within this play. I think Bioh does a good job of getting it across without it bein thrown in your face a million times

[Emma D · Rating 4 out of 5]

so this was actually hilarious and insane. read it for my theatre class. love the parallels between this and the mean girls movie. However, it also has its own thing going for it which was entertaining. would love to see a live performance of this.

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t know if I should even count this towards my reading goal (since it’s a play), but I really enjoyed this! It was funny yet real and enlightening (no pun intended) for me as a light-skinned Black woman. Also reminds me of the privilege I have to have grown up in the U.S..

[Anna-May Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This play reads really well, but I wasn’t very satisfied with the ending! I can imagine it was miles better on stage because of all the hype! It just didn’t feel resolved for me, but then maybe that was the point! I really enjoyed all the characters and the pacing was lovely!

[Kendra Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming. Set in ‘80s. Good for a staged reading in our area. 6 teens, 2 adults. All black cast.

[James B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful play about how teenage girls are the same the world over.

[Carol Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning play (currently running at PCS in Portland, OR) See it if you can!

[Ally Varitek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pageants are not my forté, but this play is both well-written and thought-provoking.

[Gretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fascinating way to look at global hierarchy, colorism And teenage insecurity. I would LOVE to see this performed.

[Blaine DeBerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really funny play with interesting themes of colorism within the Ghana community

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watched the Goodman Theatre production of this play over the pandemic and decided I wanted to teach it in my theatre history II class. Read it for class.

[Rene · Rating 4 out of 5]

read for class

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow…

[Emma Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

you know this play captured mean girls because while you hate paulina, you really root for her, too; i’ve only ever seen that accomplished in this particular way with regina george.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shorter than I expected, but good. One set, many characters. Themes of insecurities and prejudices. Better "motives" than American Mean Girls for sure.

[Victoria Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one for a World Literature class and really enjoyed it.