The Roedean School (SA) Drama Department promises yet another riveting and explosive production with Top Women, produced by Ms Megan Martel, Dramatic Arts Teacher and Senior School English Teacher.
Ms Martel offers a rare and compelling combination of professional performance experience and academic expertise. She is familiar to audiences from the Wild at Heart, as well as a range of television commercials. Her firsthand experience in the industry enriches her teaching by bringing the classroom to life and making learning both engaging and tangible. This unique blend of practice and pedagogy informs Top Women, shaping it into a production that is both intellectually rigorous and emotionally resonant.
The title of this production reflects its inspiration from Top Girls by Caryl Churchill, where a recruitment agency serves as the central meeting point for a group of women reflecting on their lives. In Top Women, this idea is expanded to celebrate the promotion of the central character, Marlene, to CEO of the Top Women Recruitment Agency. However, the play moves beyond celebration. It creates space for powerful women to share their stories and reflect on the sacrifices, struggles, and complexities behind their achievements through a series of monologues.
As Ms Martel explains:
“Top Women is not simply a celebration of success, but an exploration of what that success demands. It reveals the choices, compromises, and silences that often shape women’s journeys to positions of power.”
At its core, the play explores what it truly means to be a woman in a position of power, particularly within spaces that were not originally designed for women to occupy. It interrogates the emotional, personal, and societal costs of ambition, inviting audiences to reflect on what it means to be seen and heard in today’s world, while acknowledging the historical forces that continue to shape these experiences.
Ms Martel has long been inspired by the structure and themes of Top Girls, particularly its exploration of how female empowerment and ambition are often intertwined with sacrifice within a historically patriarchal society. The idea of creating a meeting point for women from different moments in time, each bringing her own story, perspective, and voice, was especially compelling. In Top Women, she expands on this by bringing together women who have inspired not only herself, but millions across the globe. The production recontextualises these ideas for a contemporary South African audience, highlighting figures who symbolise resistance, resilience, and transformation across Africa and beyond.
It was important that both students and parents could connect with the stories on stage. The play aims to create a sense of intergenerational dialogue, emphasising that many of the challenges women face are universal and remain deeply relevant today. Through her experiences in educational and professional spaces, Ms Martel has engaged with individuals from diverse backgrounds, shaping a perspective that is both empathetic and expansive. This production honours those experiences and offers audiences the opportunity to see the world through multiple perspectives.
When selecting a piece for the Roedean (SA) students, Ms Martel was initially drawn to Top Girls, but became increasingly interested in developing something that speaks more directly to our present context. Roedean’s values centre on nurturing future leaders, and this production serves as both a reflection and a source of inspiration for what leadership looks like for women today. By engaging with the past and interrogating the present, the play invites audiences to imagine new possibilities for the future.
Through extensive research, and the inclusion of carefully selected songs that echo the struggles and triumphs of the characters, Top Women continues to amplify the voices of women who have challenged systems and reshaped narratives throughout history. It serves as a reminder that change is often gradual, and that many stories still need to be told. Many voices still deserve to be heard.
