This is Me: A Feminist Play for Everyone

Whenever I used to hear the word “feminist” there was always the hidden phrase that came along with it “women that like to complain about everything”. That was something I grew up with, that I learned how to push under the rug and deal with.

Two years ago I finally was able to strip myself from the shame I felt of the word “feminist”, a shame that I, myself, created because I was afraid to be called too bitchy, or too annoying, or too moody.

A big, big group of women came out proud, reclaiming their rights, their hopes, their dreams from the world, and that opened my eyes and gave me the courage to plant my seed in the world.

The way it came to me was through writing. It began as journal entries; I started to dissect my life, what I went through since I was a kid, my teen years, my young adulthood era, to the present; what I considered normal that shouldn’t be, what was thought of as something wrong but that was in my rights, and what was viewed as a taboo that I shouldn’t be embarrassed to talk about.

As I kept writing it slowly started to become and feel something much bigger than just for myself. I wanted to share all these views and notions of life, through the eyes of a woman, to everyone. It became a play, a comedy to be precise, and its name is “This is Me” (clearly, the title gives an idea of what it is about).

I didn’t want, and I didn’t write a play about women talking bad about men. That wasn’t the point. I wrote a play that shows that women are people, like everyone else. That they share the same joy, fears, rights and perks as men do. It is a play that can be enjoyed by everyone, and I don’t say this because I wrote it, I say it because I was lucky enough to see it happen.

I got together with the amazing Yudelka Heyer (actor, director, writer and producer), and showed her the material and told her about my dreams for it. She immediately hopped on board, and since then we had a sold out Staged Reading and a Special Off-Broadway Performance. Both times we had all types of people come see it, from tweens to grandmas, women and men, and I even had the privilege to talk to some, and hear how they connected to the piece and how much they appreciated what it stands for.

I am not done with putting this out there for everyone to see. We have a new production presentation at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts this coming August 7 to 10th, and I am so excited about it! We are slowly getting this positive, hilarious, and brave piece known.

I am an actor besides a writer, and making your own work, seeing other actors speak your words, have people come see it and enjoy it, and get positive outcomes from it, it is the best feeling in the world.

My name is Barbara Bernardi, I am a Latina feminist writer who isn’t ashamed of being who she is anymore.

Guest Contributor:

Barbara Bernardi is an actor and singer from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She moved to New York City to study acting at The American Academy Of Dramatic Arts, where she graduated from in 2017. Her most recent credits include her Off-Broadway debut in Knights of the Square Table, Ximena in The Thalia Festival, Rachel in Baltimore, Borachio in Much Ado About Nothing and a Bud Light commercial.

Back in Argentina she was part of the English speaking Theater Company PEST (Peripatetic English Speaking Theater), and with them she played Gwendolyn Fairfax in The Importance of Being Earnest, Miss Casewell in The Mousetrap, and Portia in The Merchant Of Venice. In the past year she was in Faux-Bia! The Musical, which had its World Premiere at Carnegie Hall; she played Francois Gillot in the Off-Broadway Workshop Reading of Dora Versus Picasso written by Claire-Monique Martin; did background work for the feature film In The Heights; and played Monika in the short film Honey Cycle, directed by Yudelka Heyer.

Barbara is also a writer, and her first play This is Me had a sold out Public Reading, a Special Off-Broadway Performance, and at the present, it will be performed at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Barbara is a proud member of The Actors Society.

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