"Silence Is Violence" Shanghai

We performed our street theatre version of “Silence Is Violence” 7 times around Shanghai yesterday and distributed over 500 postcards containing resources for women and domestic violence. It was exhausting, exhilarating and inspiring. Our performance locations were several parks, a shopping mall and a city street near several galleries. The people of China were all intrigued by our performances and by the end of each showing of our 10 minute piece a crowd had gathered around us. While three of us performed one distributed the post card and most people were eager to take the materials we were handing out. A large amount of press arrived for our first performance and there was great interest from the media. In the end, Coco, Edith and Eva all agreed that it was a unique experience and humbling day for us. Thanks to Hu Yun and the team who accompanied us around the city from Zendai Moma. Here are some photos of our day.

- Aphra Behn
www.ggontour.com
© 2008

Shanghai Day One Update

Hu Yun, curatorial assistant at Zendai MOMa helps Edith Evans, (seated) with Eva Le Gallienne (left) and Coco Chanel (right) as they are interviewed on line by Shanghai Daily.

Check out Zendaiart.com for details of our street theatre piece "Silence Is Violence" on Friday, November 14th in Shanghai

- Aphra Behn
www.ggontour.com

ARRIVED SHANGHAI!

After getting up at 3AM to catch a 6AM flight to Atlanta, Eva, Edith and I were looking pretty sleepy when we met Coco Chanel at the Atlanta airport. She, of course, looked fabulous, tan and has taken on a bit of a southern twang now that she lives in the south.. We boarded our 11am flight to Shanghai and 17 hours later looked even worse than when we started. Our new Shanghai friend, Jocelyn, arranged for us to be picked up by a courteous and totally non English speaking driver and 30 minutes later we were in our hotel in the Pudong district…kind of like what Tribeca was years ago except it has tons of strip malls on every corner…so I guess it’s more like LA was years ago. Our host, Hu Yun meets us in the lobby and gives us our room keys and Eva immediately drops on her bed falling fast asleep. Edith, Coco and I want to take a walk around and end up in the largest supermarket I’ve ever seen where we gaze at the cute packaging on the juices and green iced tea bottles, drawing curious looks from the locals. We head into a well lit restaurant with an English menu and feast on bok choy, fried noodles and wonton soup with prawn dumplings….delicious. Oh and a couple of Xhing Tao’s to wash it all down. Then off to sweet dreams of the days ahead and our street performance piece “Silence Is Violence”. Thank goddess for Ambien.

Aphra Behn
Shanghai, China
www.ggontour.com
© 2008

MORE BROADS ON BROADWAY

Now that the election is over we can get back to more important issues like sexism in the New York City theatre scene. I recently saw “Boy’s Life” by Howard Korder at Second Stage. This was a play about three men, well boy’s I guess, who were liars, adulterers and date rapists. The silver haired audience yuked it up behind me while I sat stunned in the third row. Question: What does a play where a guy admits to having sex with his date after she passed out do? Answer: It makes us sick. Now that’s definitely not why I attend the theatre. Last night saw “All My Sons”, the sold out smash hit on Broadway that boasts a completely fresh eye from director Simon McBurney. It was over acted, melodramatic and was basically a play about a sound design. I won’t even go into what I thought about the revival of “The Seagull” except to say it was a big snoozorama. In short, my take on the fall season is that we desperately need a dose of “other” voices both writers and directors on the NY city stage. I hope that some good will come of the big pow wow last month at New Dramatists where the lack of parity for female playwrights was the point of discussion with notable local artistic directors. As I toss my Playbills in the trash this morning I chant my mantra: More Broads on Broadway.
-Aphra Behn
www.ggontour.com
© 2008

PS Off to China tomorrow…stay tuned for photos and reports from the front!

How Sweet It Is!

It is now November 6th, and I guess I've been waiting to put my thoughts down because I have been walking around in a daze since the results came in Tuesday night. I was afraid to go to sleep for fear that I would wake up and find that either it was all a dream or the results had somehow changed as they did with Gore.

I am so proud of the voters of this country. I spent election night with a small group of close friends, all of us so afraid to get our hopes up....so afraid that it was too good to be true....so afraid that this election would somehow be stolen once again. When it became clear that an Obama landslide was indeed happening, we all ran onto the balcony cheering, laughing, chanting, crying, hugging, dancing and were joined by people across the street on their balconies and pedestrians walking by and cars honking, bells ringing, amazing euphoria.

For the first time in a long time, I have hope for this country. I am filled with a sense of possibilities to unfold. Equality and justice for all seems to actually be in reach.

We have made history, and how wonderful it feels!

-Dorothy Parker
www.ggontour.com
© 2008

Finally!

I woke up this morning with a funny feeling and I realized it was happiness. Is this what it felt like for the people of Germany when the Berlin wall came down? It is a good feeling.

Hope was in the air yesterday when I went to vote…long lines, excitement. Could this really be happening?

On the way to vote I passed a Catholic school. The 8th graders were out for recess. They were cheering and clapping for people going to and from voting. They would ask “did you vote for Obama?” and when they go a yes they high-fived each other and cheered. I thought- this is something, I want this to happen for those kids. I want that enthusiasm and hope rewarded. The future voters deserve this as much as the current voters.

But would it happen? I voted I got a tear in my eye; I walked by the kids and got high- fived. I got another tear in my eye.

Many years ago I was a Catholic school kid cheering people on to vote and then Reagan won. I didn’t understand. I remember seeing all the old Republicans cheering, wearing weird straw hats and red white and blue vests. I was so disappointed.

I’m happy to know that this year’s group of Catholic school kids got their wish. And I suppose the little school kid inside me finally got what she wanted too.

Thank you Americans.

Gracie Allen
www.ggontour.com
© 2008

Dear President-Elect

Congratulations. Guerrilla Girls On Tour takes partial credit for your being elected the 44th President of the United States.

You see we are a touring theatre company that humorously addresses issues that effect women. For the past 8 years we’ve been hitting President Bush hard on his anti-woman policies and more recently we’ve worked on skits and songs about John McCain’s 97% anti-choice voting record. We urged our audiences to Vote Obama! OK, so we did do a bit about you and Hillary acting out a scene from “Waiting For Godot” which was very funny. But we promise that we’ll only use you in our future shows if you need to be reminded that women need access to health care, reproductive rights, protection against violence and discrimination, and pay equity. I am certain that you won’t forget us.

In closing we are inspired by your promise to work for change, to lift up those who are still disenfranchised and to make our country once again great for all women and men.

Good luck and Goddess speed.

Guerrilla Girls On Tour!
www.ggontour.com
© 2008

Phew!!!

Election day is done. A conclusion has been reached. It is a good one. I started the day reading a quote on a daily website of Lake District photos, saying how men and women win elections more for who we vote against then who we vote for. It reminded me of how aware the world is that the Americans were at the polls and that this time around there was someone to vote for. And that made all the difference.

My favorite photo of the day was my Republican (from Ohio) friends' photo of himself casting his vote for Democrat Barack Obama - though I'm not sure he should have photo'd in the booth.

I came across one person who didn't vote. Tsk. Tsk. And, really.

I didn't partake in the freebies, but I didn't poo-poo either. Yesterday definitely had an air of the festive with people on the streets going off to parties and bars well into the night. Let it rock on, I say, and good stuff.

The longest wait to vote I heard - one and a half hours. (Just after 9 AM.)

I am disappointed in the passing of bans to gay marriage.

I applaud South Dakota for again supporting a woman's right to choose.

Congratulations to Beverly Perdue, North Carolina's first female Governor.

I thought the president-elect's victory speech had a delightful ring of Shakespeare's Henry V.

I am really looking forward to such an intelligent, articulate President. I have complete confidence in his ability to lead us through such a difficult time. And I am sad that at such a glorious time in his life, there is also such grief.

Well done America!

Edith Evans
www.ggontour.com
© 2008

My Vote Mattered

Last night, I asked my roommate if he voted. I thought it would be nice for us to watch the results together. His response was SHOCKING. He did NOT vote. He was not even registered! "It's just not my thing", he said. What?!? What?!? I literally saw spots. I couldn't even bare to look at him. "It's not your thing?" I said. "I just doesn't seem that important. He's already going to win. My vote doesn't matter." I immediately went into my speech....

"We, as black people, as American's, must always exercise our right to vote. We were granted voting rights in the 1860's, but it was not until 1965, when Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, that we were actually allowed to vote. For one hundred years we were threatened, murdered, and taxed to keep us from polls. Literacy tests were created to stop us from having a voice. We fought dogs, and fire hoses! And you, a black man, on the brink of the most important election in history, are not going to exercise the right that our people fought so hard for? (FYI, I have a similar speech for women who don't vote)?"

Well, he said nothing. Just continued to take out the trash. He probably thinks I'm crazy. I don't really care. I just don't understand how anyone would not want to be a part of history. Oh well! We won without him!

Josephine Baker
www.ggontour.com
©2008

Thank you, America

I am crying tears of joy. Barack Obama is the next president of the USA. I am proud of my country for the first time in a long while. I sit here breathing in history. It is a new era. I can say to my children that they can be anything they want to be and really mean it now. New possibilities are opening. The dawning of a new America is here, one that is embracing of differences, that is open to change, that is willing to grow. I await tomorrow with a new sense of hope and possibility. Thank you, America.

Fanny Brice
www.ggontour.com
© 2008