Synopsis

A girls’ boarding school becomes a microcosm for radical feminist ideals and their inevitable clash with reality.

In a failing private school, three female teachers—Ann, Joanne, and Elise—attempt to create a feminist utopia. Their experiment begins with a vow of celibacy, but quickly unravels as personal desires and ideological differences come to the fore. Ann, the headmistress, clings to traditional values while secretly yearning for male companionship. Joanne, a militant feminist, pushes for radical change but struggles with her own contradictions. Elise finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, challenging the very foundations of their feminist project.

Hare’s play is a biting satire of feminist ideology, educational institutions, and the generational divide of the late 1960s. Through sharp dialogue and darkly comic situations, he explores the tensions between theory and practice, individual desires and collective ideals. The play’s structure, moving from the initial optimism of the women’s pact to the gradual disintegration of their experiment, mirrors the broader societal shifts of the era.

Slag offers a provocative examination of feminism’s growing pains, questioning whether true equality can be achieved through isolation and extremism.