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Event
The Second Coming of Joan of Arc
This underground lesbian classic is coming to Arcata!
In Gage's interpretation of Joan, the medieval heroine is a lesbian runaway who has returned from the dead to share her experiences, and her passionate and radical perspective, with contemporary audiences. According to Gage, "Joan represents one of the most censored archetypes in theatre historynot just the lesbian, and not just the butch, but the angry woman."
In the years since the first performance of the play, The Second Coming of Joan of Arc has had a remarkable history. Thousands of photocopied versions of the script have been passed from hand to hand. "Women come in to see the show wrapped up in their own private worlds of guilt and shame. As the play unfolds, they begin to make connections between Joan's experiences and their own. They begin to see that there is a pattern, a conspiracy going on. The atmosphere starts to change. The women come alive, with anger and with humor. There is just this tremendous release." Women who have never produced theatre in their lives have become producers in order to bring the show to their communities. Doctoral students have written about it; university professors have included it in their curricula; therapists have prescribed it for their patients.
"Saint is just another word for a woman who got burned..."
"A woman who hears voices is a lot more dangerous than a woman with an army. Keep that in mind..."
"The truth is there is no man on earth who can stand in the way of a woman who is utterly convinced of the rightness of her action..."
"My voices weren't all that special. Everybody hears voices. Everybody's go somebody leaning over their shoulder, whispering in their ear what they should do and what they shouldn't do..."
What people are saying about The Second Coming of Joan of Arc:
" passion, humor, rage, insight, regret This play works on many levels - layers and layers and layers a highly intelligent piece of work which always remains accessible an emotional, moving, exciting experience..." From the Flames, Nottingham, England.
" passionate, witty. Let this Joan be one of your voices." Feminist Bookstore News, San Francisco.
" gripping re-exploration of a legendary figure" Sing Out!
" a tour de force performance by US writer/actor Carolyn Gage. Here the true story of Jeanne Romée, the young peasant girl who liberated France, is brought to us in a contemporary setting, to explore how 500 years later things have changed for women in society. It is a flawless performance, delivered with passion, indignation, some humour, connection, opinion and power..." Gay Community News, Ireland.
"Joan of Arc has never been made more real to me, not in the movies, not on stage. This is the woman, not the myth Brava!"Z. Budapest, author of The Grandmother of Time.
"Recalling The Second Coming of Joan of Arc leaves me practically speechless, but boiling over on the inside with sadness and a hunger to "right all the wrongs" of the world. Never before have I attended an event at my University that evoked tears and heartache and feelings of invincibility and empowerment simultaneously. In Dorothy Allison's book Skin, she encourages women to speak and write ourselves raw, until we are vulnerable and we produce captivating and personal art that evokes tears, laughter, and rage from the audience. Carolyn Gage epitomizes Allison's vision. Her brilliant performance touches everyone deeply by providing an educational, cathartic, heartbreaking, and empowering experience. She speaks the unspeakable truths about women's oppression that most of us are afraid to say"Kristina Armenakis, Women's Resource Center, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR.
"The night I saw [The Second Coming [of Joan of Arc], six years ago, I borrowed a copy of the play from a friend. Ever since then the book has lived in my book bag, purse, shoulder bag, carry on, reminding me that there are "two ways to destroy a woman", reminding me not to get ripped apart. Gage has has given us a hero that doesn't run around in her underwear and taught us to take back the voices in our heads. Gage has changed so many lives she will never know about. and the only way I know how to thank her is to never stop fighting." Tamanya Garza, The University of the Sciences, Philadelphia.
" powerful and moving, to the point of angry, as well as sorrowful tears Your truthful and emotional performance should be mandatory for all students especially women, who need to make decisions and choices in their lives often based on the same issues that Jeanne confronted in her own pilgrimage." Karla Alwes, PhD., Professor of English, State University of New York, Cortland.
And about Carolyn Gage:
"The work of an experienced and esteemed playwright like Carolyn Gage is the air that modern theatre needs." Jewelle Gomes, author of The Gilda Stories, San Francisco Arts Commissioner.
"Ever since I first saw Carolyn Gage perform her work, I have been convinced that she is one of our greatest living artists the value of Gage's plays goes far beyond their ability to hold and entertain audiences. I know of no living playwright who is grappling with issues as controversial and as central to the survival of our people as Carolyn Gage. Possibly the most potentially transformative work of our time is the work on trauma conducted by psychologists and academics as well as within feminist and recovery movements. By joining her intellectual and political engagements with these movements to her considerable skills as a dramatist, Gage creates plays that bring the "magic" back to theatre. I have seen many of her plays performed among them, The Second Coming of Joan of Arc, Sappho in Love, Harriet Tubman Visits A Therapist, and Artemisia and Hildegard. The impact of these performances on audiences is profound and life-changing. I can also attest to Carolyn Gage's rapport with university students and faculty I sponsored a lecture and performance by Carolyn Gage on our campus. These events were well-attended and enthusiastically received by the faculty, students, and community members who attended. Carolyn Gage was on my campus for four days and throughout that time she was most generous in making herself accessible to students. In the discussions with her audience and during small group meetings with students, Carolyn was lively, provocative, brilliant."Dr. Morgne Cramer, Dept. of English, University of Connecticut, Stamford.
" Carolyn Gage is one of the best lesbian playwrights in America"Lambda Book Report, Los Angeles.
" a whole women's theatre tradition in one volume wonderful to readrich, original, deeply affirmingand must be phenomenal to see on stage. The culture of women we have never had is invented in Carolyn Gage's brilliant and beautiful plays." Andrea Dworkin, feminist philosopher activist, and author.
"Carolyn Gage's writing, acting, and teaching are explosive. She rips away the cultural camouflage that permits us to accept, to be blind to, the brutal context in which women are still required to live their lives. When my students remember this semester it will be because of her visit. She's a treasure." Prof. George Wolf, Dept. of English, University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
"Carolyn Gage is to lesbian playwriting as Georgia O'Keefe is to women in American art: You can scarcely think of one without the other." off our backs, Washington, DC.
" strong-minded, bighearted storytelling..."Chicago Review.
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LocationArcata Playhouse
1251 9th St.
Arcata, CA 95521
United States
Categories
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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