Sean Dooley and Summer Hagen

In the 1970s, women pursuing degrees in the ministry—as in most professions—faced a plethora of obstacles, not least of which was the resentment of their fellow male students. From the vantage point of 2015 it is hard to recall how bitterly many men resisted allowing significant numbers of women to join the ranks of their chosen profession, in particular professions considered the domain of men. It was as if a man's masculinity was challenged by determining that his career choice no longer constituted "man's work."

Kristine Holmgren clearly remembers the era vividly. A journalist, playwright, and short story writer based in Minnesota, Holmgren recounts the trials of her first year at an elite East Coast seminary: frequent harassment by male students, being egregiously ignored by male professors, accusations of being in seminary only to lure a man, the frustrating attempts to launch a women's consciousness raising group, a field experience supervisor who sought to manipulate and control her, and worse.

The difficulty with an autobiographical play is that we know the outcome. We know in advance that Kristine will persevere, earn her seminary degree, be ordained as a Presbyterian minister, and go on to a successful career within the church and as a writer. The trick, then, is to surprise us with the journey, with what it took to attain that success. In God Girl, there are few surprises. It is no surprise that Kristine's two roommates—one spouting feminist values, the other from the South has learned to play by the rules to survive Dixie-style sexism—form the core of her support. It is no surprise that her male classmates and professors ignore the women in class, and rebuke Kristine for demanding that they allow her speak. And it is no surprise that the too-good-to-be-true field experience supervisor turns out to be just that.

In the course of the play, we are also privy to some corrupt wheeling and dealing within the church. Given the volume of negative news today about organized religion, there is no reason to doubt the veracity of such events, or be surprised by the way this privileged men at the expense of woman.

With little sense of surprise, the play feels like a well told personal anecdote, but lacks a sense of drama, of finding the solution to a human riddle. Yes, there may be some shock in viewing again the overt sexism of the 1970s—if it appears to be exaggerated, I know that Holmgren has told it like it was. There may be a sense of relief or gratification that we have made so much progress, albeit far to go in terms of pay equity, protection from sexual harassment, and other issues. But not much in terms of dramatic tension to grab the audience and have us eager to know "what next?"

What does freshen the narrative is the interplay between Kristine and her mother Bernice, who has always supported Kristine in her ambitions. It is she who calls Kristine "my God girl," as when other girls were playing house, Kristine was playing church. Kristine and Bernice communicate by telephone and by sending audio cassettes back and forth—the cutting edge technology of the day—and we hear Bernice affirming her confidence in Kristine when she questions whether or not she can endure. This relationship, while somewhat peripheral to the main story, is given a warm and delicate touch.

Summer Hagen provides a lively, life affirming Kristine. She conveys the intelligence, courage, and integrity we would expect from her character. She is a very attractive woman, but we are assured that Kristine completely trades on her abilities and not her looks. She is tough, but conveys genuine fear in response to the hate targeted toward her and other female students, and genuine hurt when she is betrayed by the one man she thought she could trust.

Sean Dooley as that man, John McGovern, does a good job of presenting himself as a charismatic and sincere believer whose mission is to reach out and help others, yet oversells his case, pushes harder than he needs to, as if still convincing himself. This prepares one to expect the radical shift in his behaviors once he passes the point of being able to control his desires, and his submission to corrupt practice in order to attain what he wants.

Peggy O'Connell is a believably proud mother who does not always understand her daughter, but always supports her. Richard Ooms, one of our finest actors, plays two parts, a professor and the dean of the seminary, but both are of the same note, scornful of the women who have arrived on campus, and doting on the favored male students and faculty.

Kristine's costumes are an important element of the play. She dresses stylishly, wearing short skirts and knee high boots. Through her wardrobe, she makes the point that she believes she should not need to hide her femininity to be taken seriously as a professional. Being a successful woman should not mean having to act like or look like a man.

The set design distinguishes well between the dorm room, church, classroom, and other locations. The set changes are cleverly carried out, with actors grooving to the beat of '70s popular songs. While this is entertaining, the lightheartedness is at odds with the non-stop serious tone of the play.

While not dramatically vibrant, God Girl does well at revisiting the debacles faced by women—in this case in the seminary, but certainly also in medical schools, law schools, and other professions—and the courage it took to hold firm and to increase opportunities and respect for women. It is important to know and remember this history, and to ask "where do we go from here?"

God Girl continues at The History Theatre through March 1, 2015. 30 East 10th Street, Saint Paul, MN, 55102. Tickets from $20.00 - $38.00; students - $15.00; senior discount available. For tickets call 651-292-4323 or visit www.historytheatre.com.

Writer: Kristine Holmgren; Director: Ron Peluso; Scenic Designer: Rick Polenek; Costume Designer: Kelsey Glasner; Lighting Designer: Kathy Maxwell; Sound Designer: C. Andrew Mayer; Properties Designer: Kirby Moore; Wardrobe: Mary Farrell; Stage Manager: Katie Hawkinson; Production Manager/Assistant Stage Manager: Janet L. Hall; Technical Director: Gunther Gullickson.

Cast: Neal Beckman (Stanley Hudson), Hannah Benedict (Cathy Myers), Nic Delcambre (student), Sean Dooley (John McGovern), Summer Hagen (Kristine Holmgren), Eric Heimsoth (student), Meagan Kedrowski (Debi Clifford), Peggy O'Connell (Bernice Holmgren), Richard Ooms (Dr. Peters/Dean Andrews), Matt Wall (Rocky Calhoun)

Photo: Scott Pakudaitis

- Arthur Dorman

Also see the season schedule for the Minneapolis - St. Paul region