culture consumed (November, 2024)

[hermionesviolin]

I made it through my month of So Much theatr & book club books & film festival.  Do I have the energy to talk about any of that stuff?  Lol. [Edit: To be clear, feel free to ask questions about anything you wanna hear more about, and I will attempt to oblige.]

theatr

• [Huntington] Sojourners w/ Abby & Fiona (first in the 9-play Ufot cycle)

  Rising star playwright Mfoniso Udofia launches her sweeping cycle with a family’s origin story. Marriage, migration, and the pursuit of education collide when a young and brilliant Nigerian couple arrives in Houston, looking to earn their degrees and bring insights back to their home country. But when Abasiama discovers that her husband has been seduced by Motown records and American culture, she has to choose between the Nigerian Dream and her obligations as a matriarch. Director Dawn M. Simmons helms the lively and funny Sojourners at the historic Huntington Theatre following her acclaimed production of K-I-S-S-I-N-G at the Calderwood Pavilion.

  
  
• [Central Square] Galileo's Daughter w/ Abby & Mark

  When a playwright's life is turned upside down, she travels to Florence to study the letters between Galileo and his daughter Marie Celeste, who is forced to join a convent after her father's earth-shattering controversies. Captured in the letters are her strength of will and own genius as she secretly assists her father in furthering his discoveries about the shape of the universe, inspiring a path forward for the Playwright. Alternating between Tuscany of present day and the 1600’s - and the liminal space between playwright and audience - Jessica Dickey has crafted a play examining faith, forgiveness, and the cost of speaking the truth.

  There was more of the Writer in this than I wanted -- in part because I didn't really care about her/like her.
  
  (Someone I know commented, "This conceit has become very popular of late: Modern woman goes in search of information about a historical woman. The play/novel then goes back and forth between portraying the two, and the narrative aims to show how the two stories dovetail and how they contrast. This trope can be quite interesting, but I'm wondering whether it's run its course.")
  
  The play did play up Maria Celeste's special nun friend Louise, so I got the Dava Sobel book (which the online program says inspired the play) from the library to see if that's forreal. (I did not find it via an initial skim and will maybe end up reading the whole book, since it seems like it would read quickly.)
  
  Apparently Maria Celeste's younger sister also went to the convent with her? I understand that including that would have lessened the "it's us alone together against the world" kind of feel of Maria Celeste and her father, but it does feel like a major dramatic license to take to elide her.
  
  
• I didn't watch much of the 5th Annual Black Trans Women at the Center: a New Play Festival, but I did watch one of the short films -- "Poly Pockets" by Morticia Antoinette Godiva (Partner: About Face Theatre, Chicago).
  
  I knew it was a virtual festival, but I had assumed it would be recordings of staged performances, but all the short films were done via Zoom (the full-length play, which was maybe also the feature of the festival?, Shape Shifter by Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi, Long Wharf Theatre, was a staged production, but I ended up not watching it that Friday night -- I definitely struggled with the short viewing windows: Access Window 1 | 7 Short Plays: Mon Nov 18 at 7:30pm - Wed Nov 20 at 11:59pm; Access Window 2 | Shape Shifter: Wed Nov 20 at 7:30pm - Fri Nov 22 at 11:59pm).  I will probably still try to hold time on my calendar for this festival next year, but I'm glad to have a better sense of what it entails. 
  
  
• [ASP] Emma w/ Abby and Cate

  Screwball antics and wedding fever have struck Highbury in this high-octane adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved romantic comedy!
  
  The precocious Emma Woodhouse has sworn never to wed – and instead is intent on staking her claim as a matchmaker with an incomparable track record. As her machinations upturn the lives of her friends and rivals alike, Emma will need to navigate a minefield of proposals, love triangles, and extravagant balls to play Cupid… and perhaps find that love has been under her nose all along.

  With humor, heart, and a whole lot of amorous hijinks, audiences of all ages will swipe right on this Regency comedy of errors.

  I read a bunch of Jane Austen in college (Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, etc.) but don't think I read Emma. Abby hadn't read it either, and messaged me a few weeks before the play:

  So, I have started the audiobook of Emma because I've never read it, and wow this book is super gay. I mean, at least the opening is.

  Yes, that felt true of the opening of the play, as well.
  
  Cate noted that this play broke the fourth wall more than the last Kate Hamill we saw, which feels true to me as well. I think it worked well, though. I definitely enjoyed this play a lot.
  
  I was really interested to rewatch Clueless after seeing this, to dig more into the similarities -- like Harriet felt so much like Tai, there's literally a character in Emma named Elton... I hadn't watched the movie in probably 20 years (I know I saw it around when it came out, when I was an adolescent, and I maybe rewatched it in college in the early 2000s), so I only remembered some parts of the movie and definitely spent a lot of the play like, "Okay, I can't remember how this part is done in Clueless."
  
  I hadn't realized the director was a Black woman until a promotional email on 11/8 (about a week before the show opened).  In an IG video, she says:

  This past week, I found myself reflecting on the first time I read this play. When I read Kate Hamill's adaptation of this amazing Jane Austen novel, I was struck by 3 things: the sharpness, humor, and wit of the language; its simultaneous fidelity to, and irreverence for, the source material; and the clarity with which I saw and heard Emma in my mind. Possessed of broad knowledge and deep potential, as much of both as she was possessed of charm, personality, and wit... the Emma I saw was a woman of color. And she wasn't infinitely strong, or patient, or full of unceasing wisdom. She was flawed and fallible. Soft and vulnerable. Beautiful and annoying. Kind and self-centered. She could have easily accepted the small nook society had relegated her to. But instead, she aspires to more. Her ambition is a testament to an awareness that she can have a role and purpose beyond society's expectations and limitations. Sure, she has to learn some lessons along the way, but don't we all?
  For me, Emma is a story of a woman who comes into her full, authentic, powerful, sovereign self through female friendship and engagement with her community. She learns to reconsider not just what she is entitled to as a full living person, but also to whom she is obligated, for whom she is responsible. This woman is the lead and a real, full human being. To me, that's the most radical portrayal of a woman of color there could ever be. As a Black woman, that idea excites and inspires me. As a Black artist, it empowers me. And so that's why this play now, and in this way: with a woman of color in the lead, centering the stories of women and their relationships to and with each other, creating a community that uplifts and supports each other, a community of joy and camaraderie. That's what we need now. It's what we need always.

  Except Emma was played by a white woman?  Jane Fairfax was played by a Black woman, but the cast was generally white (see).

other

• Gender Reveal live show w/ Abby

  The Gender Reveal podcast

  Three transsexual friends/morons present a night of comedy and games. Imagine if a variety show was actually good!

  For seven years, Tuck Woodstock has hosted the beloved trans podcast Gender Reveal. Now, we dare to ask the question: What if instead of “interviews” and “guests” and “thoughtful analysis,” Gender Reveal was a series of high-concept games and bits presented by Tuck and his two most available friends? Expect comics (both kinds), historical personal ads, lightly coerced transitioning, and something called “Jeremiah AFAB Sweatpants.”

  Tuck Woodstock is the host of the podcast Gender Reveal and the co-editor of 2 Trans 2 Furious. mattie lubchansky is a cartoonist and illustrator, and the author of Boys Weekend. Calvin Kasulke is the author of the novel Several People Are Typing.

  We were definitely skeptical about how much we would enjoy this, but we actually enjoyed it a lot.

books

• [Nov 13 climate change book club] This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein (2014) -- Okay, despite my statement last month, I ended up powering through reading this.
  
• [Nov 14 local library LGBTQ+ book club] You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat (2020) -- novel about a queer Palestinian-American woman.  I wasn't super into this.  It's kind of litficcy, maybe?  idk. I was engaged reading the book -- but also the character doesn't grow or change much.
  
• read Abby approx 2-5 picturebooks
  
• [Dec 1 feminist sff bookclub] The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz (2023)
  
• Lucy, Uncensored by Mel Hammond and Teghan Hammond -- YA, trans-fem (authors are sisters; Teghan is trans, she/they)

tv

• finished watching WandaVision (1.08-1.09)
  
• Abby and I started watching Agatha All Along (1.01-1.04)
  I gave her context from WandaVision a bunch during Episode 1, but I think you could come into the show cold and catch up as you go (though one of my coworkers said she tried to do that and then looked up lots of stuff on the Marvel Wiki because she was confused). If you do come to it from WandaVision, you will ALSO be confused -- though that confusion gets sorted by the end of the episode.
  
  Abby was not prepared for just how hot Aubrey Plaza was. The Internet had maybe oversold to me how much of the show Aubrey Plaza is in? Though at the time of this writing we have seen 6 episodes, so there's still more show left.

film

• [WQ: Docs] Short Film Program Queer In This Together: Stories of Communities and Iconoclasts

  Join us for five stories of how our community lifts itself up for survival, for success, and for our future. From preserving the political history of elder lesbians to learning how to know yourself and others through role play, these five stories from across the planet put a spotlight on those who bolster themselves up to thrive in this world.

  
  
  • Pup Perfect -- about puppy play; I learned a bunch but was also somewhat disappointed that it was only about gay men and didn't even really nod to the fact that the community/kink extends beyond that
    
  • The Kiki House of Vase -- about a ballroom house in Taipei
    
  • Trans Heaven Pennsylvania -- about New Hope, Pennsylvania; this was really interesting, and I was sad that the venue that had been at the heart of this got sold and the developer turned it into a parking lot :(
    
  • Old Lesbians -- about the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project; I cried a bunch; I also don't think I'd realized that Smith has the collection?
    
  • Alok -- I only knew of them prior to this and I have learned that they are not really for me.
    
    For reference, here are the full blurbs from the WQ:Docs website:

    Doc Shorts 2024 • Queer In This Together: Stories of Communities and Iconoclasts
    Nov 17 4:00 pm
    Run Time: 112 min.
    Join us for five stories of how our community lifts itself up for survival, for success, and for our future. From preserving the political history of elder lesbians to learning how to know yourself and others through role play, these five stories from across the planet put a spotlight on those who bolster themselves up to thrive in this world. – Craig Gimbrone, Programmer
    
    WQ Docs: Pup Perfect
    Directed by Henry Baker • 26 min • USA • English
    Explore the world of gay/queer human Pups. This subculture that evolved from the gay leather community and now thrives in tandem. Interviews with over a dozen Pups reveal that Pup Play is a way of embodying the spirit of a dog, both physically and mentally. More than just a sexual fetish, Pup Play provides a way for individuals to escape the stresses of everyday life and embrace a mindful existence. Our “dogumentary” sheds light on this unique LGBT+ lifestyle, its stigmas and the freedoms attached to it.
    
    WQ Docs: The Kiki House of Vase
    Directed by Syrus Sad Vandi • 24 min • Taiwan • English
    Emerging from the adversity that affected Harlem in the late 1970s, ballroom culture became a sanctuary for Black and Latin LGBT individuals. They formed familial bonds in groups known as “Houses,” seeking refuge from threats of violence, discrimination and addiction. This vibrant subculture grew outside its New York City confines, igniting a global movement that eventually made its way to Taiwan. Today, these Houses bring the beautiful world of ballroom to life, hosting balls filled with highly competitive categories—from fierce runway battles to the cascading elegance of vogue femme. While much has changed since its inception, ballroom remains a vital sanctuary. In Taiwan, The Kiki House of Vase upholds this legacy. It stands as a testament to ballroom’s foundational ethos: providing queer and LGBT individuals a platform to thrive and receive recognition for their excellence—even in a society where prejudice persists, despite advancements. Join us to see how the Kiki House of Vase’s members showcase the transformative legacy and resilience of ballroom culture.
    
    WQ Docs: Trans Heaven Pennsylvania
    Directed by Hansen Bursic • 12 min • USA • English
    In the early 2010s, hundreds of Transgender women took over a small American town each year for a legendary weekend-long party – one that changed their lives and the town forever.
    
    WQ Docs: Old Lesbians
    Directed by Meghan McDonough • 29 min • USA • English
    For the last quarter century, Houston native Arden Eversmeyer journeyed across the country to record hundreds of oral “herstories” with a mostly invisible population that is rapidly disappearing. Old Lesbians honors Arden’s legacy by animating the resilient, joyful voices she preserved in the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project, from first crush to first love, from the closet to coming out, and finally from loss to connection.
    
    WQ Docs: Alok
    Directed by Alex Hedison • 19 min • USA • English
    Filmmaker Alex Hedison delivers a compelling portrait of her friend, Alok Vaid-Menon, the internationally acclaimed, non-binary, author, poet, comedian, and public speaker. This thought-provoking short documentary explores the limitless expression of self, challenges societal norms, and inspires viewers to embrace personal freedom beyond the binaries that divide us. Featuring Dylan Mulvaney, Chani Nicholas, and other cultural change makers. Executive Produced by Jodie Foster.

  
  
  
• [WQ: Docs] Reas

  Yoseli has a tattoo of the Eiffel Tower on her back and has always wanted to travel, but she was arrested at the airport for drug trafficking. Nacho is a trans man who was arrested for swindling and started a rock band in jail. Gentle or rough, blonde or shaved, cis or trans, long-term inmates or newly admitted: in this hybrid musical, they all re-enact their lives in a Buenos Aires prison.
  This film is presented in Spanish with English subtitles.

  I was pretty meh on this.
  
  
• [WQ: Docs] I streamed A House is Not A Disco

  A surprisingly intimate and humorous doc that peers with empathy and curiosity into one of the world's only "homo-normative" communities, the island "paradise" of Fire Island Pines. Told through home video, archival footage, and eccentric character portraits of the vibrant present, A HOUSE IS NOT A DISCO finds a Fire Island in transition; confronting diversity, inclusivity, gentrification and the frightening and growing peril of coastal communities worldwide...climate change and rising seas.

  The documentary does touch on all those things listed, but it felt to me largely like we were only sort of skimming the surface.
  
  I did appreciate that some trans women get featured. (Early on in the film, people were talking about how it's such a queer haven, but, like, it was basically all white cis gay men -- so I appreciated that the film dug into that some.)
  
  Watching it I kept thinking of Lesvia (Λεσβία) from Wicked Queer's spring festival -- about the evolution of the queer community in the birthplace of Sappho.
  
  
• I did not catch Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story during WQ: Docs, and it wasn't streaming during their virtual encore, but it was streaming through DOC NYC I saw on Bluesky, so I watched it that way.

  WQ: Docs:
  A lost R&B star who eclipsed Etta James and Little Richard, trans soul singer Jackie Shane blazed an extraordinary trail with an unbreakable commitment to her truth. Forty years after vanishing from public view, this 20th century icon finally gets her second act.
  
  DOC NYC:
  Groundbreaking trans soul singer Jackie Shane was on the cusp of stardom when she turned away from the music industry and the world. After her death, family members who never knew their pioneering aunt, piece together her remarkable life, uncovering her personal struggles, immense talent, and unmistakable voice. Through never before heard audio recordings and beautifully expressive animation, Jackie tells her own story, in her own words. – Brandon Harrison

  This was in so many ways such a well-constructed documentary.  (And it tied with Janis Ian: Breaking Silence for Runner Up for Audience Award Winner at Wicked Queer Docs -- I learned from an email today.)
  
  Elliot Page was one of the executive producers -- probably in part because it was a Canadian production (Jackie Shane was from Nashville, but found a home in Toronto).
  
  Among the various talking heads in this documentary, there were a couple Black women who I only partway through realized were also trans. The credits indicated that they were also the re-enactment actors: Sandra Caldwell & Makayla Walker. (The former was pretty easy to find online, but I struggled to find the latter until the Wiki for Jackie Shane informed me that she is also known as Makayla Couture.)
  
  Someone else in that bsky thread said, "This fall, Nashville installed a historical marker, memorializing Jackie Shane and her role in the city's queer history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgbOgQTyzik " so I watched that news clip.  It included a (very brief) clip of Crys Matthews covering "Any Other Way" (of course, because Nashville).
  
  
• Clueless with Abby -- after we saw Emma
  
  It has not held up as much as I would have liked, but I still enjoyed it (and I think Abby did, too?).
  
  I did appreciate seeing it so soon after seeing the Emma play. Not only did I get to match up things like Christian is Frank Churchill, but right out of the gate we have Cher trying to get her dad to drink orange juice, which is the reversal of Emma's father trying to get everyone to eat "gru-el."

***

Currently Reading:

Working my way through the second half of The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History by Ned Blackhawk (2023) for December DEI book club (I powered through Part 1 for November book club -- November is Native American Heritage Month, and we're taking 2 months for the book because it's so long).

I've been finding Part 2 easier than Part 1? Though I've also had so little reading capacity that I'm still stalled pretty early in Part 2.

Reading Next:

Not sure.  I haven't been wanting challenging reads (in part because I was so slammed in November and the Blackhawk book was really dense), so I have some lighter stuff out from the library/on its way to me via interlibrary loan.

I'm not actively participating in Bethany's December Trans Readathon, but I've definitely been upping the number of trans books on my TBR because of following her on Bluesky.  The struggle is often that I wanna read books with my partner, and she generally has less time/energy to read than I do (and tends to do audiobooks, to listen to while driving, and lots of stuff isn't available in audiobook, especially from the library).

Also, it's December, so that means Betsy Bird's 31 Days 31 Lists, so I (will) have many picturebooks coming to me via interlibrary loan.  (Which I will only subject my partner to some of.)