12 Ways to Be A Better Feminist in 2020.

And so it begins again...

September 1, 2018

The end of summer means fall is just around the corner and I am back on the road! This year I will kick off my 2018 ART OF ACTIVISM fall tour with a stop at the Spencertown Festival of Books. 

Spencertown Festival of Books 

Spencertown Festival of Books has been held every year since 2006 at the Spencertown Academy Arts Center.  A sleepy, verdant hamlet located in Columbia County, NY, Spencertown has a Country Store stocked with homemade pastries and jams and the best BLT I’ve tasted north of Manhattan. There is not much else to do in Spencertown except to experience the Academy – a cultural and community center housed in a landmark 1847 Greek Revival schoolhouse. Each year the Academy hosts a line up of events, one of the most popular being their festival of books – a curated used book sale with some of the best looking used books around. At this year’s festival I slipped a collection of short stories by Rick Bass under my arm and headed for the cashier while my husband, Richard, grabbed up novels by Helen Simonson and Anthony Trollope and followed me. 

Me and "UN/MASKED" 

But used books are not the only thing Spencertown Festival of Books offers. Every day the festival stage features readings from writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. They even host a young writers contest and I was so happy I arrived early to catch Claudia Maurino read her excellent and moving essay, “Loss,” as the nonfiction prize winner. Read it here.

Saturday, September 1^st was my day as a featured author and I was paired with Linda Dahl, the author of the recently published “Fight Doctor.”  Now at first I thought my memoir about surviving domestic violence would not be a good fit for a memoir about boxing. But we were billed as “two formidables” and took our cues from each other, reading about struggles with finding our place as women in the world. 

 

Linda Dahl (L) and Donna Kaz (R)

It was a beautiful, sunny and, thankfully, not very humid day as a solid crowd gathered to hear us read. I so appreciated the nods of recognition from the local crowd as I read my story of being a masked avenger taking on sexism in the arts. As I began to talk about sexual abuse and assault, my thoughts suddenly fixated on my good friend Charles Harper, who I used to visit this area with back in the 80’s.  I write about Charles in “UN/MASKED” and felt him with me during the hard parts of my story. 

Of course my reading would not be complete without a banana toss and a Guerrilla Girl On Tour poster give-away. These have become my signature moves and make my readings more like parties with food and party favors. 

So thank you, Spencertown Festival of Books, for a memorable Labor Day Weekend 2018 and a great kick off of my fall tour. I could not leave without a last look through the great selection of books on sale and a slice of my friend Magadini’s blueberry pie. 

Lee Magadini

See you on the road!  For a complete list of tour stops go here. 

The Power of the Push!

PUSH/PUSHBACK, 9 steps to make a difference with activism and art (because the world’s gone bananas) made it’s last spring tour stop as the keynote speech at Wilkes University’s Women and Gender Studies Conference.

Faculty of Wilkes and Kings, PA 

Poster making workshop 

 But first, a classroom full of students and faculty assembled to try their hands at making protest posters during a 3 hour workshop.

You are always perfect - final poster 

Feminist Artists in Workshop 

The Wilkes workshop (which was comprised of feminists from both Wilkes and Kings College in Wilkes-Barre) was one of the most focused I led. Perhaps it is the times we live in, but all participants were eager to hunker down and collaborate on some kick ass posters and sticker campaigns. Their final presentations were inspiring!

A packed house was the perfect ending to the “Art of Activism 2018” spring section of the tour.  Old friends, Karen Anselm of Bloom u and Bob Tevis of NYC Saloon days stopped by. New friends’ smiling faces bloomed from the audience and kept my spirits high all throughout the talk. At the end I sold books to some seasoned and brand new fans. It is always an honor to meet the readers of the memoir that took 4 years to write. I do not regret unmasking for a New York minute.

With Karen Anslem and Bob Tevis 

PUSH/PUSHBACK, 9 steps to make a difference with activism and art (because the world’s gone bananas) now settles down for a summer simmer while I travel to the Marble House Project for a 3 week residency in June to turn the talk into a book.

Fall tour dates are filling up, however.  If you are interested in bringing PUSH/PUSHBACK to your town sign up for the Guerrilla Girls On Tour newsletter here or check out our latest emailblast.

See you in September!

Much love and gratitude,

Aphra Behn

SUMMER 2012

Feminists Are Funny

at the 9th Women's

Playwrights International

 Conference in Stockholm

This summer we are proud to be touring to Sweden for
the first time - performing a special edition of
 Feminists Are Funny at the 9th Women's Playwrights
International Festival in Stockholm on August 18th. 
The National Theatre of Sweden - Riksteatern - is the 
host of the Conference and the theme this year is the
 democratic stage. Will we see you in Stockholm? 
It's a great opportunity to meet women in theatre, build
 networks and create genuine, lasting contacts between 
like-minded women playwrights from around the world. 
For more info visit the conference website:  
http://wpic.riksteatern.se/

SAVE THE DATE:

WE ARE THEATRE

SPEAK-OUT

Protest sexism in theatre September 24th at the

Cherry Lane Theatre in NYC 

What do Theresa Rebeck, Kate Bornstein, Shay Youngblood, Brighde Mullins, Caridad Svich, Andrea Lepcio, Honor Molloy, Kathleen Warnock, Laura Shamas, Penny Jackson, Paula Cizmar and Velina Hasu Houston have in common?  Their short plays are featured in WE ARE THEATRE  - a speak out about the lack of parity for women playwrights. Organized by Guerrilla Girls On Tour!, 50/50 in 2020 and the Women’s Initiative members of the Dramatists Guild, WE ARE THEATRE is an afternoon of monologues, skits, songs and scenes addressing sexism in theatre.  By raising our theatrical voices we will advocate on behalf of the millions of women theatre artists around the globe via and take steps towards a day when gender parity in the performing arts will be the status quo.

 

For updates re tickets for WE ARE THEATREfollow our facebook page  http://www.facebook.com/WeAreTheatre

"Lesbian, Vagina, Feminist!" - our show at Lincoln Center

June 19, 2011

Dear Diary, 


Three days later and I'm still reeling from our show at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center - Target Free Thursdays! on June 16^th.. The day started with a marathon 4-hour rehearsal. We then donned our new bright yellow jumpsuits designed by GGOT costumer Liz Claiborne and headed out. We quickly learned how difficult it is to hail a cab in New York City dressed as a Guerrilla Girl On Tour! Thank goodness for our rock star tech grrl Laura Keene. She saved the day and whisked us off to Lincoln Center. Upon arrival we were greeted by the amazing staff and coordinators of the Atrium - and instantly felt at home.

The show was a huge success and a fun romp through historical and current feminist and LGBTQI events and issues. At the end we were asked why we felt LGBTQI issues were relevant to our stated mission of focusing on discrimination and racism. Why do 'queer issues' become so important to feminists? Because the people of a culture cannot be free if one group is being discriminated against. The concerns of every minority group are the concerns of feminists. We then posed with audience members for photos - everyone from young feminists, to baby dykes, to a mom and her [5-year-old] daughter. The mom with the young girl told me that she was a single mom and that she went through college - as a women's studies major - with her child. She pointed to her daughter and said 'she's been to tons of feminist events already' - her face was full of pride and her smile absolutely lit the room. 

Last to leave were a group of senior citizens who came together in a van from their senior center. With walkers and canes they lined up, smiling and thanking us all for the show. We often look out on multi-generational audiences - but this time a truly diverse, and completely full group met our masked gaze. Many thanks to all! 


Until next time – Eva Le Gallienne

Dearest Blog,

A place you would take refuge in only if you were desperate to escape one more summer thunderstorm your mother didn't warn you about. That is how I remembered the public atrium at Lincoln Center. Not any more. The David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center is gorgeous and green. The die-hard regulars enjoy sandwiches and Wi-Fi and Target Free Thursdays.

We members of Guerrilla Girls On Tour! didn't know what to expect. The audience is used to jazz music. They want their jazz music. They show up for their jazz music. Who are we? A bunch of feminist in masks and bright yellow jump suits carrying around a supply of ripe bananas and not so ripe statistics. Are we swanky? NO. Are we smooth? NO. Are we a little be-bop? Nah. But we did rock the house. Can I say that? Why not.

Thank you audience. Thank you playwright in the front row whose jaw hit the floor at the unbelievable statistics of women playwrights on Broadway from 1908 to the present. Thank you lovely woman in the front row who was holding too much in her hands to snap so tapped her feet instead. Thank you lovely man audience right who stepped in as the “question from the audience” guy when the first audience member backed out. Thank you first audience member for pulling out your glasses and giving the “question from the audience” your best shot. Thank you two lovely ladies from the all girls high school for loving the show and having a chat afterwards. Thank you younger sister from the Florida University who started the feminist blog on her college campus. Thank you older sister for introducing her. Thank you Julia Miles for producing plays by women and announcing those from your seat in the audience during “announcements from the audience”. Thank you everyone for supporting the Marriage Equality Bill. Thank you toddler for joining in the chant during the sound check. You are precious and adorable.

It was a happy, happy night.

xoEdith Evans

Dear GGOT Diary,

Wow! What an amazing show! We just performed at The Atrium at Lincoln Center. Lincoln Center! Can you believe it? It was all in honor of Gay Pride Month. And now, with the new ruling honoring gay marriage in New York, how apropos! We're so current :)

Right before we began making our entrance, I could feel that my wig was a little tighter than normal. And, as we grew nearer to the stage, I could feel it ejecting itself off of my head! It was like it was alive, and wanted no part of me! I just prayed that it would stay on, and not come flying off during our dance sequences! I tried to make jokes, but it was a serious deal. I never have wig problems! Eventually, I was able to move around enough pins to insure that I wouldn't loose it.

Finally, I could fully focus on the show - our energy was so high that the audience quickly got swept away in our feminist furor!

For me, there were two highlights of the night. The first came when I went into the audience to find a guy feminist. I looked out, and spotted a man who looked perfect. So, I go to him and ask him to participate in the show by reading a question. At first he was really excited. He even asked if he should come on stage! But then when it was time to read he started fumbling for his glasses, and it became pretty evident that he couldn’t do it….the words just weren't coming out right, then he looked at me and goes 'What does this mean?' I, myself, became confused! Do I walk away from this guy, and find someone else? Or should I force him, in true Julia Child style, to read the damn card? I decided to ask him what he wanted to do, and as I figured, he did not want the job. So now, on to find someone else! I asked the guy next to him. Nope. He wasn't into it. I called out into the general audience. No takers. I began feeling a little disheartened. Like I had blown the joke, and now, no one would be into it. But then, the girls started motioning toward a man who would do it! And he was great. Thank Goddess!

The second highlight was when we debuted our new song "Lesbian, Vagina, Feminist!". The audience sang, and clapped along with us. We totally rocked out with our vaginas out, and it was so much fun.

Thank you Lincoln Center – Next stop Avery Fisher Hall!

Xxxx

~Josephine Baker

ARKANSAS DIARY #1

Dear GGOT Diary,

What a great tour! I have to admit I was a little nervous about this one. Touring to southern, red states always makes me nervous. I'm never sure how I (being a black Guerrilla Girl On Tour), or how we (being feminists), will be received. But I had no reason to be nervous because Aphra, Edith and I received the warmest welcome from one of the most diverse schools I have ever toured to.

The welcoming faculty was great. As we toured the theater and dance department we discussed the true meaning of feminism, and how some of the school's female students felt uncomfortable identifying as feminists, (despite the fact that they believe what feminism stands for). Ah it’s the same wherever we go and I immediately knew that everyone on the campus of Henderson U in Arkadelphia, Arkansas was on our side!

The performance went really well. We kept the energy up, the audience laughed where they were supposed to and they loved "Size Two Pants". When I picked a man from the audience to point out as a "true feminist" it just so happened that I chose the schools Vice President! He was perfect. Immediately, I could tell that he was a man of power and intelligence. He had a great sense of humor, and went with the joke. After the show he came over and told us how much he enjoyed it and how much he learned from “Feminists Are Funny”.

Here's a fun fact for ya: Did you know that March 15th, the day of our show, was National Hug a Lesbian day? We didn't. But, during "Announcements from the Audience" we learned that it was! At curtain call, Edith ran right up into the audience, and hugged herself a bunch of lesbians! I followed right behind Edith and so did Aphra, hugging until we were too tired to hug anyone else.

There's nothing better than taking an extra 45 minutes to leave the stage, because the audience is still loving you. We were signing t-shirts, and posters, and taking picture after picture after the show. It felt really great.

I learned something huge from this tour. There's no need to stress about any of our tour destinations. You never know how the audience is going to react. In blue states our feminist message may be taken for granted. But in red states they love us as soon as we step over the state line. Until we meet again you reddies!

Love,

Josephine Baker

March 16, 2011