Night Eight at the Year of the Arts Women’s Play Festival featured two one-woman shows, created and performed by up-and-coming artists.

With Apologies to Nancy Benoit by Venus Argento Barrington was a tight and tidy 15-minute play in which a transgender woman looks back on the influence disgraced professional wrestler Chris Benoit had on her personal journey. Venus originally performed this monologue in 2022 at the St. John’s Shorts Festival. I missed that presentation, but I’m glad I got to see it Tuesday night.

Venus reflects on masculinity and femininity, gender stereotypes and “roles”, name-calling and more in this piece. I was impressed by her use of her Chris Benoit doll and Barbie doll to express the duality of her personality, and her ability to capture just how painful the transition from being “in” with the kids on the playground to being cast out when she no longer neatly fit in the little boy mold. Relating to Nancy Benoit, a former wrestler herself who was relegated to the sidelines when she married Chris, was a simple yet effective allegory.

The show was a reminder to me that it’s still not easy for trans and gender diverse children, despite the awareness and rainbows and pride programs in schools. I naively thought things might be better than back in my day. Venus is younger than my kids… We have a long way to go.

Ok. I will now climb back off the soapbox and talk about show two on Night Eight: Goldstar Girlfriend, by Susan Kelsey.

Described as “a zeitgeisty comedy about modern relationships and how to navigate the difficult questions that arise from big life changes,” this is an entertaining show. “Zeitgeisty” is a good description. I thought “goldstar” itself was derogatory, but perhaps that is in fact the point. Maybe it’s in now. Did I mention I am old?

Susan is a stand-up comic, and it showed. The main character, Harlow, finds herself pregnant after a hook-up with an old boyfriend. Complicated, yes, but even more so because she is in a “formerly” open relationship with a woman, who has now taken the next step and moved in. There’s a dead family dog to contend with, and morning sickness, and binge-watching Twilight movies… it’s a fun ride.

I congratulate Susan for the gradual shift she accomplished away from the party girl we meet in the opening moments of the play as the story unfolds. There was also a nice use of sound effects. I think future performances of Goldstar Girlfriend would benefit from an exploration of dynamics and pacing. Because there are a lot of pauses for thought in the retelling of the conversations Harlow has with Drew and Riley, it would help to pick up the pace in other moments to keep the story moving along.

Commanding the stage by your lonesome takes guts and stamina and I congratulate Venus and Susan for owning it and sharing these plays with the Festival audience.

Looking forward to Night Eight, Showdown by Michelle Clemens, the story of the 1986 NAPE strike through the experience of Joan, a woman and union leader struggling to balance work and home. See you there!