It all starts in a McDonald’s bathroom. After a particularly troubling incident involving a toilet, something unexpected emerges: a girl.
Her mother runs out of the stall with her high heels clacking behind her.
And so begins “GERL GURL GORL!,” a one-person performance by Austin artist Andie Flores that explores girlhood, identity and fast food. And yes, there are plenty of poop jokes.
The show’s central character, GIRL, enters a world knowing nothing about the complicated realities awaiting her. Through a combination of absurdist comedy and theatrical storytelling, Flores uses the character’s unconventional origin to examine what it means to become a girl in a world already full of expectations about womanhood.
“I think she’s a girl who’s born from a poop and that feels like a stupid enough framework for me to have some really interesting conversations through the story,” said Flores, who describes herself as an embarrassment artist.
GIRL finds an abandoned baby bird during the performance. Flores uses her central character to examine what it means to become a girl in a world already full of expectations about womanhood.
For the performance, Flores wears a nude bodysuit covered in metallic droppings. She has an elongated nose and clown-like makeup. An unruly black wig is perched on her head. The audience at Stage Austin last Thursday giggled as GIRL rolled around in the dark theater, surrounded by fake french fries and toilet paper.
She was learning to walk.
Flores said she got the idea for the show after spending time with her 18-month-old cousin. She said she’s always worried about saying the wrong things around her and wanted to convey the feeling of figuring out who you are by trying things and falling down.
“Usually I perform as some version of myself,” Flores said. “This is the first time where I wanted to have a character that is not trying to directly represent so much of what’s going on in my intimate life.”
GIRL begins navigating her unfamiliar surroundings without a mother-figure. She encounters the “Mansplainer,” a character who embodies the unsolicited advice and authority women often face. His presence introduces another layer to Flores’ exploration of girlhood. She said she wanted both characters to be relatable.
“I do hope that there is some strength that the audience walks away from the show with,” she said, “and maybe some acceptance.”
“GERL GURL GORL!” runs through Saturday at Stage Austin.