Fat is something nobody wants to be — but phat is another matter. It stands for “pretty, hot and tempting,” a pretty desirable condition.
That’s the premise of “Phat Girls” by Debbie Lamedman, a play that explores eating disorders, body image and healthy choices. The Pittsburg High School Drama Club will present the show at 9:30 a.m. today for students, and at 7 p.m. today for the public. Additional performances for high school and junior high students are planned at 9:30 a.m. Friday in the PHS auditorium, and at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium.
“This came about when the PHS Drama Club got a $1,000 grant through Kansas Healthy Kids Alliance,” said Greg Shaw, PHS drama instructor.
“We think the show can reach a lot of different people,” said Lara Ismert, cast member. “A lot of women are struggling with body image problems and eating disorders.”
“We had a discussion about that in theater class, and it was surprising how many people knew multiple women that they thought had eating disorders,” added Mollie Stephens.
“Phat Girls” is composed of nine short scenes and an epilogue, starting with Ismert, as Eve, who started it all off by eating that apple. The scenes move from childhood to adulthood, ending with acceptance and learning to love oneself.
All 16 cast members are female, including several who play Mr. Horrible, a male figure that represents negative messages women get regarding weight and body image.
“That’s kind of weird,” said Kelsey Parks, one of several who portrayed Mr. Horrible.
“The boys in Theater II did a lot behind the scenes, researching eating disorders,” Shaw said. “They really embraced it more than I thought they would.”
Their research uncovered some grim statistics. “One in 10 college women suffer from an eating disorder, and 10 percent of those with eating disorders will die within 10 years of the onset of their illness,” Shaw said.
He noted that this is the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder — even higher than that of clinical depression. “These statistics are the reason we’re doing this play,” Shaw said.
“This play shows that it’s not what’s outside that matters,” Parks added.
At the end of the play will be a question and answer session with the audience. “We’ll let the audience dictate this, because it’s a little more personal matter,” Shaw said.
Last spring PHS students did “Bang Bang, You’re Dead,” a play dealing with school violence.
“Since I’ve been here, I’ve been trying to find a signature, and do some significant play about something that affects our students,” Shaw said. “We’re trying to find a play about environmental issues for next spring, and if we can’t find one, we may write it ourselves.”
