Recently in Theatre Category
Patricia Berne is the Co-Founder and Director of Sins Invalid, a San Francisco theater company that blends performance and art with the political vision of a more just and equal world. The goal of the company is to challenge and reshape the public's ideas about people with disabilities and other traditionally marginalized groups. Focusing particularly on disability justice, their performances resist the framing of the company members' bodies as "less-than," simply by putting those bodies on stage. "It's the most basic claiming of voice and claiming of space by creating beautiful work with political grounding," Berne says.
Berne, who believes that performance and other forms of cultural work play a crucial role in movement building, has dedicated her life to social justice, a dedication that has taken many forms. Currently, Berne also chairs the board of San Francisco Women Against Rape. Clearly, her role as Director of Sins Invalid is only one piece of a life devoted to giving voice to the voiceless and empowering the invisible. When I observed that the mission of Sins Invalid sounds both challenging and crucial, Berne's matter-of-fact reply was, "It's challenging, but life is tough."
If you're building a social justice movement, this is the woman you want in your corner. That said, as her answer to question number two reveals, she is a (self-professed) total geek.
And now, without further ado, The Feministing Five, with Patricia Berne.
Sorry folks, removed the video because of the automatic play--you can go here to watch it.
I saw the musical Spring Awakening last weekend. Jos also saw it, so we're both going to share our thoughts in this post.
From Miriam:
Growing up I was a big fan of musical theatre, and saw pretty much every Off-Broadway production that came through my town. Since then I haven't seen one in a few years, but I was excited to catch Spring Awakening when it came through DC. This new musical has been getting all sorts of attention and praise, including 8 TONY awards. You get a sneak peek in the video above, but it's pretty spectacular. Innovative music (by Duncan Sheik! Anyone remember him?), super young cast, and extremely relevant themes.
Although the play that this is based on was written in 1891, the topics they hit on are really relevant. Teenage sexuality, sex education, pregnancy, abortion, academic pressure, homosexuality, it's all there.
The one thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the portrayal of the main character, a boy named Melchior. He's the stellar pupil, super smart forward thinking guy. He also has a romance with the other main character, Wendla. I don't want to give too many details, but the way their relationship unfolds and the way he is portrayed as a hero of sorts at the end bothered me.
From Jos:
I also got the chance to see Spring Awakening a couple weeks ago. I loved the music, loved the staging, and loved seeing a musical about the need for comprehensive sexuality education. The show is a melodramatic (not a criticism - this is a musical after all) examination of what happens when young people do not have access to honest, accurate information about sex and sexuality.
I appreciated the handling of a first heterosexual experience with kink. The frightened, curious exploration of links between violence and desire felt honest and contemporary. The gay love scene was probably my favorite part of this particular performance. The two actors made a lot of small deliberate choices that had me laughing hysterically while also appreciating the sweetness of the moment.
I agree with Miriam's complaints about Melchior. I thought the sex scene between Melchior and Wendla had the same problematic approach to consent we see over and over again in movies - the woman says no until she's been pressured enough and then she says yes. Also, the show was obviously written by men, given the lack of dealing with menstruation, a topic I expected would get at least a mention.
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Other's who have seen the play have thoughts? For those who haven't I totally recommend it, it's a really fun show. You can see upcoming tour dates here.
