Kat’s Korner: Feminine Folklore

Kat’s Korner: Feminine Folklore

femfolk_squareLast year, I tried my hand at performance theatre. I was part of an ensemble of women for Goldie Patrick’s Feminine Folklore at The Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington, DC and it was an eye-opening experience. The basic premise features a diverse ensemble of women telling their stories from their post-30’s perspectives. Each cast member writes her own monologue and prompts are used to trigger responses that make up the rest of the dialogue. Last year’s fall edition centered around the theme of the fairytale and how relationships are idealized. It was a blast!

I have often said that I am a better “talker than writer” and a project like FemFolk has allowed me to examine this  more closely because the process of performance art is recursive in nature. Not only are you required to revisit the writing several times in the editing space, you also have to revisit the emotions attached as well. As a result of the process, I learned a great deal about myself.

So, I am back for another edition. This time around, the theme is,”the birds and the bees”. We will be exploring what we learned about sex and sexuality while coming of age, a topic that at first and even now, makes me a little nervous, but is turning into another fantastic exploration of how women interpret life lessons from their mothers and mother figures. The beauty of FemFolk and what makes it special, is that Goldie is not interested in the surface elements associated with the themes she selects. She is interested in forcing all of the ensemble members to dig past what’s uncomfortable to find the truth nugget that is really the story. What she has mined this time around is pure gold.

I can genuinely say that  I am excited to be part of this next edition of folklore performance and eager to see how ensemble’s stories match up with the audience’s. I invite you to join us and contribute to the conversation by visiting the site here. There are two show dates (May 1st and May 2nd) and both begin at 8pm, with talk backs immediately following. For more information and tickets on the next edition if Feminine Folklore click here. If you are able to make it out, please feel free to share your comments and feedback after the show in the section below.

Until next time,

Kat

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