Nolen decided to change the scene to honor Judy’s commitment to care for her child. In the revised version, Judy gets the fussy baby to sleep after giving him a bottle, a toy, and an iPhone. When she goes to take her own nap, an alligator appears and snatches the baby from the stage. An epic battle ensues, where Judy heroically fights the beast off with a wooden spoon. She emerges wounded but victorious and rushes off to find the baby. An entr’acte follows, with two “Judy cheerleaders” celebrating the puppet’s bravery with exuberant tricks and dance moves. (In a nod to the ongoing need for intersectional feminism, Nolen designed them to portray women of different races working together).
Rather than resisting and devaluing Judy’s maternal obligations, Nolen gave audiences an opportunity to empathize with Judy’s impossible challenge of juggling all of her family’s domestic tasks. Kids could laugh at Mr. Punch for being unhelpful and celebrate Judy for her competence and bravery. Nolen found that empowering Judy meant allowing space for her to be multidimensional: in contrast to her counterpart, she could be both kind and nurturing as well as strong and confrontational. Nolen maintained this nuanced approach to the character as she built the show’s ensuing scenes.
Policing Content
Nolen wanted her show to somehow engage with topics related to consent, bodily autonomy, sexual harassment, and the #MeToo movement, but in a way that was appropriate for young audiences. She found space to do so by adapting the traditional Punch and Judy scene involving a policeman into a complex allegory of blame and assault. Her intent was to have this scene play on two levels—a “kid” level that prompted young audiences to call out injustice and speak up for what’s right, and an “adult” level that drew attention to the insidious way people in authority can undermine women and cast doubt on their testimony.
After escaping with a wounded arm from the alligator who stole her baby, Judy runs off calling for help. She finds a police officer who asks her for a description of the suspect. Judy asks the audience to recount the details. Kids enthusiastically call out what they have seen: “He was green!” “He had sharp teeth!” “He tried to eat her!” Instead of sounding the alarm, the officer asks Judy, “Did you get a first and last name?” Kids scoff as they recognize how unhelpful and absurd this question is. Adults shuffle in their seats as they begin to see Judy in a familiar scene where the burden of proof shifts onto a victim to defend herself. The officer finally asks Judy, “Ma’am, is that what you were wearing at the time of the attack?” Judy, in a bright yellow dress, confirms that this is so. The officer replies, “Everybody knows that alligators are attracted to bright colors. This attack couldn’t have been HIS fault. Let’s just say it was an accident.” Judy, shaken by this suggestion, turns to the audience for help to defend her case. She asks the kids, “Was this an accident?!” The kids yell “NO!” Judy then entraps the officer in a giant donut, declaring “DONUT blame me for this!”
Nolen eventually realized that empowering grown-ups to engage kids in conversation about uncomfortable realities was part of Judy’s mission.
Almost every time Nolen performed this scene, adults in the audience audibly gasped. She had planned to be provocative, and many were impressed by her takedown of the cop. A few, however, were agitated: Was this actually a scene about sexual assault? Do my kids know what’s going on? What should I do?! Kids typically understood this interaction exactly as Nolen intended: the officer blames Judy unfairly and she stands up for herself. Yet some parents voiced strong resistance saying that the scene was “inappropriate.” One mother wrote:
I say with confidence that most early childhood professionals would agree that these heavy themes and humor are not appropriate for young children. While my daughter giggled, I was left feeling very uncomfortable and thinking about the questions and conversations that might follow this performance.
We spent a long time thinking about how to respond to this parent and others like her. Nolen felt the comment validated that the show was working exactly as intended. She also strongly disagreed with the claims about age-appropriateness (and had expert child development authorities to back her up). However, that did not seem to be the real issue at play. What we started to hear was a cry for help manifested as an accusation about respectability: I saw your show, and it reminded me of how unjust the world is for me, my daughter, and for all women. I don’t want the world to be that way. This reality makes me uncomfortable, and I would rather not see it because I feel I can’t change it.
Nolen eventually realized that empowering grown-ups to engage kids in conversation about uncomfortable realities was part of Judy’s mission and, accordingly, her responsibility. As an artist dedicated to women’s advocacy and empowerment, Nolen also had the responsibility to meet parents and caretakers where they were and to model how to engage in difficult conversations.
Nolen began to make herself available after the show to engage with audiences about these topics. She developed strategies for post-show conversations that let kids discuss what they had seen. She looked for ways to reassure grownups that their kids were okay so they could worry less about protecting their children’s innocence and focus instead on teaching them to stand up for someone who had been wronged. As Nolen continues to perform the show on tour, we are working with her to create a comprehensive parental guide for those who need additional support.
Comments
The article is just the start of the conversation—we want to know what you think about this subject, too! HowlRound is a space for knowledge-sharing, and we welcome spirited, thoughtful, and on-topic dialogue. Find our full comments policy here