Disarming Girls by Kallen Prosterman

a play co-written with Sarah Caroline Billings.
Truus is a men's clothes-wearing aspiring soldier, Hannie is a law student, and Freddie (the younger sister of Truus) is just here for a good time. Disarming Girls reimagines the incredible true story of these three women living in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. In 1941, three young women are recruited by the Dutch Council of Resistance. This...
a play co-written with Sarah Caroline Billings.
Truus is a men's clothes-wearing aspiring soldier, Hannie is a law student, and Freddie (the younger sister of Truus) is just here for a good time. Disarming Girls reimagines the incredible true story of these three women living in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. In 1941, three young women are recruited by the Dutch Council of Resistance. This recruitment leads to their ultimate mission: enticing Nazi soldiers out to the woods where a member of the Resistance shoots them. A chorus of three other women build the world with physical movement and also inhabit characters of that world. Truus, Hannie, and Freddie’s three distinct journeys are revealed as each grapples with what, if anything, is honorable in wartime.
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Disarming Girls

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Character Information

INCLUSIVITY IN CASTING STATEMENT
This is a play considering the universal experiences of women
from the past, present, and future. We require that casting
includes female-identifying artists from a diverse spectrum of
races, abilities, sexual orientations, ages, and backgrounds. Do
not be constrained by the idea that this is a "period piece".
Director/movement choreographer should feel free to change movement
indicated in stage directions based on the individuals in the
cast.

  • Truus Oversteegen
    ages 18-23 throughout the play.,
    Any
    ,
    Female identifying
    a soldier and a leader. Stubborn.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Hannie Schaft
    ages 20-25 throughout the play.,
    Any
    ,
    Female / Female Identifying
    a skittish bird until she needs to fight.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Freddie Oversteegen
    Ages 13-18 throughout the play.,
    Any
    ,
    Female/Female identifying
    Spunky, girlish, wants to be involved in whatever Truus is doing. Our Amy March.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Chorus (1, 2, and 3 - but expandable)
    Any Age,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    Rules of Chorus: They exist in three dimensions.
    NARRATION: exists outside the world of Hannie, Truus, and Freddie. Tone is contemporary, "vibe-y".
    WORLD-BUILDING: when 123 are simply creating or building the world of HTF.
    and CHARACTERS: exist inside the the world of Hannie, Truus, and Freddie. 1940's in the Netherlands.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female

Development History

  • Workshop
    ,
    Belmont University
    ,
    2021