b'align with Wollstonecrafts central argument that the prevailing views on womenPositionality: The importance of knowing who you are regarding their education and character constrain them to a superficial existenceas a facilitator and how this does and should inform created for the pleasure of men. As shown in these plays, this boils them down to a person who can solely rely on the guidance of man. These plays furthermoreyour practice. portray a perfect hypocrisy of expecting women to be virtuous and constant whilst denying them access to freedom, knowledge and truth. This paradox isLydia Williamsaccentuated in the plays because the female characters are known under their husbands or fathers names, which is a symbol of a forever entrapment. WhilstRecognising who we are and understanding how our backgrounds influence the men cling to the ownership of these women, they take themselves as farour perspectives is essential for engaging ethically and authentically with oth-away as possible from them and refer to them as the other sex, a term used in allers. Lydia Williams explores the significance of positionality and how cultivat-three plays explored in this essay. Centlivre, Glaspell and Robins, however, do noting self-awareness can deepen the impact and integrity of facilitation. suppress the image of men in these plays but rather elevate womens voices. This exchange of view is referred to as a specific kind of political discourse: critical andTo ground her discussion, she first explores the concept of positionality and its theoretical [], not simply a concern for gender in literature (Moi, 1998:). Moisimpact on identity:view, which presents feminism as a movement for womens social, economic and cultural freedom and equality, also ties in with Wollstonecrafts emphasis onPositionality is the underpinning of our identity (race, class, gender),reason, truth and the development of the woman. A Bold Stroke for a Wife, Triflessubconsciously shaping how we experience the world, our views, and how we and Votes for Women! portray women as three-dimensional human beings who understand the world to be, thus constructing our biases, expectations, and ideas. inevitably draw sympathy on stage. The theatre, as a medium, can help pave theOften subliminally impacting a facilitators practice, it is imperative to understand way for their recognition as equals in society.your identity, its composition, and the privileges it may or may not afford you to understand your position in relation to the environments you work in. Particularly Anderson, M.G. (2002) Female Playwrights and Eighteenth-century Comedy:in the practice of applied theatre, in which most of the work is done with oppressed Negotiating Marriage on the London Stage. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp.and marginalised communities, this awareness ensures one does not uphold a 109-139 social engine that helps to drive an unfair system of privilege (Kershaw, 1999: 31). Centlivre, S. (1998 [1718]) A Bold Stroke for a Wife. Ed. N. Copeland. Peter- A facilitator must be aware of the individual privilege afforded to them by social borough, Ont: Broadview Press. constructs and reinforced by institutional legislation to ensure that they avoidfortifying social power constructs. One should seek to understand their privilege Glaspell, S. (2007 [1916]) Trifles. Ed. and Landes, W.-A. Studio City, CA: Play- and how to cultivate a space that advocates for equity, asking the questions Who ers Press. am I? and what that means.Kennedy, J. (2007). Trifles by Susan Glaspell. Available at http://www.prov- Lydia then goes on to examine the complexities and challenges faced as an incetownplayhouse.com/trifles.html#:~:text=The%20Provincetown%20aud ience%20of%201916,an%20English%20professor%20at%20Columbia.external facilitator within an educational setting:Accessed 24th June, 2025.I was reminded of my unique position as an external short-term facilitator when I, Lemmings, D. (1996) Marriage and the law in the eighteenth century: Hard- along with the rest of Out Of The Box Theatre, delivered our Box People workshop at wickes Marriage Act of 1753, The Historical Journal, 39(2), pp. 339360. a local school. We started delivering our box person day in the life activity, where students would be given prompts to create small movement pieces as groups. The Moi, T., Squires, J. and Kemp, S. (1998) Feminist, Female, Feminine, in Femi-nisms. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.activity was prefixed by stating: These are box people, not humans, so theyprobably wont do things like you do, an imperative as part of our top loading to Robins, E. (1907) Votes for Women! London: Mills & Boon. ensure they felt they had creative liberty during this task. This resulted in various Wollstonecraft, M. (2013 [1792]) A Vindication of the Rights of Woman:dynamic responses, including a group of approximately five boys responding to the Abridged, with Related Texts, Hackett Publishing Company, Incorporated,stimulus: How do your box people eat breakfast?. They moved their mouths open Cambridge.and shut in an outlandishly mechanical manner while throwing their food behind them, causing the teacher to intervene: Uh, boys, you obviously werent listening; 16 17'