Awesomeness Alert: Guerrilla Girls On Tour!

Check out what feministing.com has to say about Guerrilla Girls On Tour!
http://www.feministing.com/cgi-bin/movabletype/mt-tb.fcgi/18952
http://www.feministing.com/archives/020700.html

If you are not familiar with the Guerrilla Girls on tour, get familiar, there work is amazing, you know, if you are into that radical art, street theatre, anti-sexism thing! Check them out in action:

SIZE 2 PANTS LYRICS

For those of you who requested the lyrics to our parody here they are. Feel free to sing them loudly all day long. L ro R Edna Lewis, Julia Child and MFK Fisher

“SIZE 2 PANTS” sung to the tune of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance” by Guerrilla Girls On Tour!

I want some junk food
A Big Mac with cheese
I want to slip into
My Levis with ease
Fits like a glove
Glove, glove, glove
Fits like a glove

I go to Denny’s
To eat a Grand Slam
I need a waistband
That is gonna expand
Fits like a glove
Glove, glove, glove
Fits like a glove

My pants aren’t too tight
They all fit me just right
And that’s because they’re not size 2 pants

Some women starve and some women will purge
And they still can’t wear a size 2 pants
Adore the size of the body you’re in
You don’t need to wear a size 2 pants.

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Can’t wear a size 2 pants
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Can’t wear a size 2 pants

Fits like a glove
I don’t want to pretend
Fits like a glove
I don’t have a rear-end?
Je veux Size Deux
Et je veux ta pretend
Je veux ton amour
I don’t have a rear-end?
Yes I have a rear-end!
Yes I have a rear-end!
Can’t wear size two pants!
Can’t wear size two pants!
Some women starve and some women will purge
And they still can’t wear a size 2 pants
J’adore the size of the body you’re in
You don’t need to wear a size 2 pants.

Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Can’t wear size 2 pants!
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Can’t wear size 2 pants!

Ra ra-ah-ah-ah
Roma roma-ma
GaGa Oh la-la
Can’t wear size 2 pants!

Our parody of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance

Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" is turned into "Size Two Pants" by Guerrilla Girls On Tour in our show about women and food. Here's a clip from a recent performance at Denison University in Ohio.

American Theatre Wing’s Jonathan Larson Grants maintain status quo of sexism on Broadway

What’s wrong with this picture? The American Theatre Wing announced that its 2010 Jonathan Larson grants had been awarded to 4 men. That’s right, not one woman this year or last year received a JL grant. Since 1997 the Jonathan Larson Foundation has given out 104 grants. Only 16 of those have gone to women or to theatres producing a musical by a woman. The grant is described by ATW as “for individual creative theatre artists to turn to for financial support and encouragement. The Jonathan Larson Grants honor the talented creator of Rent and ensure that his spirit continues to inspire the future of American musical theatre.” I guess they believe that the future of musical theatre is reflected in what’s currently playing on Broadway. There are 26 musicals on Broadway – 23 by men and 3 by women. That’s 12% representation by female musical theatre writers. Just 15% of all Jonathan Larson grants have gone to women. I know there are just as many women writing musical as men so why do these grants help to maintain the status quo instead of encouraging more women’s voices? What’s currently playing on Broadway? Discrimination. Note to American Theatre Wing – we need more Broads on Broadway. In 2011 give only women awards. Feel free to steal that idea.

-Aphra Behn
© 2010

Photos from Yoko Ono Courage for the Arts Awards dinner

L to R Julia Child, Aphra Behn of GGOT with Josephine Baker of GGBB and Yoko Ono seated.


Julia and her big hair.


Julia Child and Aphra Behn with Martha Wilson of Franklin Furnace


Courageous artist, Yoko Ono.

Yoko Ono Courage For The Arts Award 2010

Julia Child and I got into our biggest wigs and our highest heels and headed down to the Modern to meet Yoko Ono Lennon and her guests at the second annual Courage for the Arts Awards dinner. We were one of 5 groups being honored and were humbled and grateful to be acknowledged for our work and our commitment to change the world, one sexist city at a time.


There was an hour of wine and yummy hors'dourves in a room overlooking MOMA’s sculpture garden and it was here that we met Yoko. I was struck at how warm and down to earth she was as she immediately put Julia and I at ease as her guests. We gave her a small gift of a hand carved gorilla and baby from the Dian Fossey Foundation dedicated to the conservation of gorillas and their habitats in Africa. While mingling we were honored to also meet Martha Wilson of Franklin Furnace (www.franklinfurnace.org) and the folks from Printed Matter who were also being honored. A. A. Bronson and Max Schumann congratulated us as we toasted to their continued success. (www.printedmatter.org) Just before dinner was announced we met journalist and art critic Edward M. Gomez who was intrigued by our masks and wigs. We were standing with Josephine Baker and Juana Sor Ines de la Cruz of Guerrilla Girls BroadBand (www.ggbb.org) another of the awardees and the five of us discussed activism and art.

After an hour we moved into the dining room and found our places. Julia and I sat at a table with Edward M. Gomez, Kathy Halbreich of MOMA and RoseLee Goldberg of Performa. The food was exceptional and the conversation moved from art to performance to cooking to Japanese culture. It is clear that Yoko Ono has the warmest of friends and only surrounds herself with great people - on this night a few masked ones as well.

It was time for Yoko to present the awards and as Julia and I went up to accept the framed award she grabbed our hands and held them. She spoke about how she felt it important to honor artists for having courage. Courage is bestowed onto soldiers but should also apply to artists who take risks, she said. Yoko mentioned that there was great energy in the room – we all felt it as well. As photos were being taken after the ceremony she whispered “keep doing what you are doing…don’t stop!” I nodded and urged her to do the same. She looked at me as if that idea had never once had crossed her mind. After this night I hope it never crosses mine again either.

We are having trouble adding photos to this post so they will be posted tomorrow. The text of our speech our below. Onward we go armed with courage and some new friends.

Happy Passover,
Aphra Behn March 29, 2010


Happy Women’s History Month! My name is Aphra Behn and this is my colleague Julia Child. We are two of the 26 members of Guerrilla Girls On Tour, also known as the theatre girls. We are honored with this award and thank you, Yoko, for your own courage and commitment to change and peace. As we travel around the world with our performances and street theatre actions, we meet many young women and men who want to channel the passion they have for the causes they believe into action but have very little first hand experience with radical theatre, protest marches, activism and resistance. One of the most important and rewarding things we try to do is inspire the next generation of theatre activists with new ways to effect change. Here is a letter from a student that we received last Tuesday while we were in Tennessee.

Dear Guerrilla Girls On Tour,
Four years ago I moved to Tennessee. All of a sudden I was the only one on campus who wanted to fight for women’s rights. I was immediately the subject of many hateful rumors. I countered this by reading feminist books and getting involved in the Women’s Council but I still felt hopeless. Then you showed up and the moment that your show “Feminists Are Funny” started I began laughing. Smiling AND laughing, for over an hour! Your humor, strength and passion woke me up and reminded me why I have to keep fighting through the tough days. I want to be able to speak out against violence against women and empower others to do the same. Suddenly I felt less alone. Even though I don't know who you are you made a big difference in my life tonight. Thank you for making me smile, and reminding me that every woman is worth it.
Love, "Alice Paul"

This award will help us to work with all the “Alice Paul’s” out there who continue the struggle for equality for all. Thank you.

Aphra and Julia

I HEART FEMINISM

Happy Valentines Day! Today I will love my feminist sisters and my feminist self.

I will love my legal rights. I will learn how to be more articulate about why I feel legal abortion should remain my right.

I will love my art. As a writer and artist I will reject being shoved into the gender-shaped subcategory “women writers” and “women artists”.

I will love my body. I recognize the anti-fat and anti-woman culture of weight in which I live in and will explore and take control of my own health.

Here's to loving feminism.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Guerrilla Girls On Tour!
www.twitter.com/GuerrillaGsOT

Tim Tebow, CBS and the Raging Grannies

The Tim Tebow/Focus on the Family ad that ran on CBS last night during the first quarter of the Super Bowl was so vague and so short that I thought I had missed it. “That was it?” I screamed out to the Girls after it flew by. It seems that both CBS and Focus On The Family succeeded in creating a media stir about an anti-choice campaign on national TV during a huge sporting event viewed by billions and then did not deliver making those of us who protested appear to be just crazy liberals. Maybe this is their new tactic. Never mind. My biggest thrill of the hype leading up to the ad was the video the Raging Grannies posted on YouTube. Their take on what CBS stands for (Corporate Bull Shit) was so on the nose you could smell it. And that’s more I can say for Focus On The Family’s tip-toeing around their issue, whatever it may be. View the Raging Grannies video below. I’ve also included a photo of Guerrilla Girls On Tour at Focus On The Family. We smuggled our way into one of their prayer breakfast’s while on tour in Colorado. They were not amused.
In Sisterhood,
Aphra Behn

SUPPORT THE FEMINISTS

Aphra Behn and Hallie Flanagan recently attended the APAP conference in New York City. Our goal in attending the conference was to shmooze with fellow artists, meet new funny feminists and re-connect with pals from past conferences. Guerrilla Girls On Tour is trying to bring our brand of satirical activism to a new audience. We think that feminist theatre has a place in mainstream theatres across the US. But try convincing presenters that. It was interesting talking to the directors of theatres outside New York City who asked us how they could possibly sell a play with the “F” word in it. We reminded them that over half their audiences were women, that our shows actively engage the audience by making them laugh first and think second and that men and women crave theatre that boldly stands outside the sterotypical idea of what theatre by feminists looks like. Some took our materials and promised to think about that. In the meantime, we’ve added a button to our blog to donate to the cause. If you’d like to help send Guerrilla Girls On Tour to theatres across the US that could use a few women in gorilla masks proving feminists are funny a donation of any amount will be most appreicated.

See you in the jungle,
Guerrilla Girls On Tour
www.twitter.com/GuerrillaGsOT

Update from the road on our last tour of 2009

Silence is Violence at Lafayette!

Josephine Baker writes…

We performed this evening in Easton, PA at Lafayette College and what an awesome and fun show it was! We kicked off the night with my wig flying off. No worries, though. I caught it in mid air!

We had the best student volunteer to help us out. His name was Chris, but he later chose Frida Kahlo as his Guerrilla Girl On Tour name. During rehearsals he was amazing! He knew all his lines and was game to learn the improv that we threw at him. What was really funny, though, was that when we called him onstage it was obvious that he wasn't really expecting it. He had gotten quite comfortable in his audience chair. When we began our first improv, he sort of stood there, waiting for us to give him some clue as to what should happen next. It was apparent that he was a little shaken by the rousing welcome he received from the audience and so had forgotten a lot of what we rehearsed. After a few nervous minutes, he relaxed and fell completely into his stage persona as Frida. Chris/Frida was by far one of my favorite volunteer's to date!

All in all I won’t forget Lafayette….it was a great show, volunteer and audience. I can't wait to hit the road again.

Julia Child writes…

Whirlwind tour to Easton, PA. We hopped in our rental car, threw on the tunes, sped through the Lincoln tunnel to what we thought would soon be Pennsylvania. After about forty-five minutes of driving, we found ourselves at the Holland Tunnel. It wouldn't have been embarrassing if I wasn't publicly posting this diary, but I am and it is so there's a little lesson about staying humble. They say, "well-behaved women rarely make history," and we disobeyed THE RULES OF THE ROAD to make this mistake. trailblazers I guess.

Nafis our gracious host, welcomed us with hands ready to carry prop bags and bottles of water for thirsty soldiers marching through the deserts of sexism. I wish we were marching through the DESSERTS of sexism! It would have been a more fun story for the grandchildren, but as they say, "you can't live life through the eyes of the grandchildren." Too much candy from the floor, I guess.

The crowd was totally into our student volunteer, Chris--- as were we. He was a fabulous actor and game for ridiculosity. A total double whammie. Our tech folks were quick on the draw, and for that I was grateful--thanksgiving style. My favorite moment of the show was pretending to be a drunk co-ed in the date-rape intervention skits. Pretending to be drunk is actually more intoxicating than actual drunkenness. None of that pesky nausea and memory loss. It's like being your own stunt woman.

Lafayette treated us like queens and I wouldn't have it any other way. We left with the sweat of catharsis on our tongues and the bulge of college tortilla wraps in our bellies and headed back to the Lincoln Tunnel. We tried not to make eye contact with the Holland Tunnel.

Anne Sexton writes…

After taking the scenic route through the industrial back alleys of Jersey City (why do Josephine Baker and myself always find ourselves there?) we finally made it to the sprawling, picturesque campus of Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Aphra Behn was busy developing the play-writing genre, but we knew she she was only a tweet, text, blog or page away.

What did we GGOT's find at Lafayette?

Liberal campus? Check. Astoundingly equal ratio of male to female faculty members? Check. The feminist uproar caused by a PA Representative Joe Pitts, co-author of the Stupak Amendment in the Affordable Health Care for America Act? Check.

No one seemed to protest when we voiced our disgust over Pennsylvania's own Representative, Joe Pitts. The amendment encroaches on a woman’s Constitutional right to an abortion by putting several road blocks in her way. Namely, by making the woman purchase riders--supplemental policies that would cover abortions--on a private insurance program if she accepts federal affordability credits from the new insurance plan, which may lead many back to the days of back alley abortions. Joe Pitts, we know you're a member of the Pro-Life Caucus and a chairman of the Fatherhood Promotion Task Force (Huhh?!), but how about joining the "Freewill Motherhood Promotion and Women's Rights Task Force?" (If someone does start said group, please let us know!)

And there were several men in attendance who nodded in agreement at our ideals and raised their hands loud and proud when asked if they were feminists, which always make me happy and hopeful that feminism is losing it's "dirty F- word" reputation of late.

There was so much love at Lafayette, including a standing ovation (go girls!) that one of the questions in the post-performance talk back stood out to me. "Do you feel like you're preaching to the choir at most of your college campus shows?". Well, no, actually. Quite often our shows are mandatory assemblies during women's history month or violence against women week where we are met with a barrage of scowls and stoicism. At those times we roll-up our sleeves and become the Rosie Riveters of Feminism, breaking down stereotypes and building awareness one block at a time. But Julia Child answered this question best with "That's great; we love preaching to the choir!". It's true, we love rallying the troops with the latest statistics and political hot topics so people will become even more inspired to make change.

Thank you Lafayette College for being such gracious hosts and being our choir of feminism!

Oh, and for the record, Rep. Joe Pitts was actually born in Kentucky.