Agave in the throws of Madness

We are dedicating this production to all Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer people who have been shunned, harassed, and sometimes killed. At times, our family members have denied our existence and our friends have cast us aside. We have sometimes been told not to be who we are. We have sometimes been denied employment, housing and medical care.

I play Agave in our production of The Bacchae. Agave is the daughter of the former King, Cadmus and the mother of Pentheus, the current King. Pentheus and Agave have denied the divinity of Dionysos. They have failed to properly honor Semele, the mother of Dionysos and sister of Agave, who died. Dionysos drives Agave mad. In her madness Agave kills her son because she thinks he is a lion. My character goes from lunacy to grief.

I am dedicating my performance to the LGBTQ Community. I dedicate it to you whose parents have not accepted you. I dedicate it to you who have lost friends because of your sexual orientation or gender identity. I dedicate it to you who have been killed and were anonymous because you lost your entire support system. I dedicate it to LGBTQ people who have given their lives to serve the community. I dedicate my performance to LGBTQ parents who have been denied access to their kids and to LGBTQ people who are not allowed to adopt because of who they are. This is for you.

I offer my body as a receptacle for those LGBTQ spirits who have been harmed or damaged. Please help me inspire and portray the truth. Please help us as we try to change hearts and minds and bring our world justice and equality.

Amethyst Moonwater

Sunday brought the cast together for a marathon rehearsal day. (Thank you cast!)

We’re really getting this story told. It was powerful and moving.

At one point I was so moved that I couldn’t stop crying.

The God of Wine, Ecstasy and Theater. Comedy. Mad Women. Ritual. Murder.

How much more can you ask for in a show?!

You know you want to go! Two nights only!

The Bacchae: A Ritual of Coming Out
November 13th & 14th, 8:00PM

At:

Mama Calizo’s Voice Factory
1519 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94103

Tickets available now at:

The Scarlet Sage Herb Co.
1173 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 821-0997

AND

The Sacred Well
536 Grand Avenue
Oakland , CA 94610
510.444.WELL(9355)

Luna, Molly, Humming Bird, Manea, Andra Jean and DK all had a fabu time and distributed half of our flyers. We were on our game! We also got to meet up with some of our amazing peeps. Damn why didn’t I get a picture of us with Sister Mary Timothy or Lady Redbush or whoever she was. We also caught up with Mr. Ernesto and fellow Mama Calizo alums The New Eccentrics and Filthy Sex Toy.

The highlight was catching up with Sister Sara Femme. She and Molly had a tearful reunion. It was like watching live action Beaches.

Some Maenads, a Sister, her lover, and a Priest go into a bar.

The boys were pretty the girls were pretty everyone in between was pretty. Pretty Pretty Pretty. Just like mama likes it.

So it wouldn’t be fair right if y’all never got to see all the Maenads. I actually got to be in a picture too. I try not to get obsessed with image, but come on. I’m pretty!

Run Run Run without thinking drawn by the scent of blood

Where will we show up next? Maenad Vampires perhaps? Andra Jean le Hunger? The Hunger

Starting to get it. Starting to get crazy. Come, O ye Bacchae, come!

We’re pleased to announce that we have a venue for our production of The Bacchae: A Ritual of Coming Out.

We’re going to be at Mama Calizo’s Voice Factory. These are the fine folks that Andra Jean and DK were working their heels off for throughout August and into September. It’s a great venue for queer arts and perfectly in line with our mission and vision.

Get ready for the media blitz that will be publicity for The Bacchae: A Ritual of Coming Out.

The Bacchae: A Ritual of Coming Out

November 13-14, 2009
Mama Calizo’s Voice Factory
1519 Mission Street, San Francisco

Dionysos seduces Pentheus

What a well timed piece of news. The tagline for our production is “When the ruling family values go up against the God of Ecstasy you know someone’s going to have a bad day.”

I love the response that BYU gives “‘The Bakkhai’ itself presents difficult material, and the approach of this production could be problematic for members of our audience.”  Well Duh! That’s what good art is about, being problematic, challenging thought, and encouraging discourse. If it doesn’t then it’s no longer art. It becomes decoration.

November 13 & 14, 2009
8:00PM
Mama Calizo’s Voice Factory
1519 Mission Street, San Francisco

The Circle of Dionysos presented The Bacchae: A Ritual of Coming Out, adapted from Euripedes’ text for two nights on November 13 & 14, 2009 at Mama Calizo’s Voice Factory.  This Rite celebrated the convergence of Sovvan, Day of the Dead, National Coming Out Month, and Transgender Remembrance Day.  The following was the description we included in our press release:

The Bacchae is one of the best known Greek Tragedies, the story of confrontation between Dionysos, The God of Ecstasy and the repressive and patriarchal ruling family of Thebes.  We cannot help but notice that it holds important parallels to the trials members of the LGBT community face today when coming out.  Coming Out is the process of reconciling inner truths and ripping apart a public persona.  It is as an initiation into mystery rites, the beginning of a shamanic journey. It should be a joyous, celebratory experience, but for too many of us who were raised in families and societies that told us this transformation is wrong, the process was equal parts pain and pleasure.  Thus we see ourselves in Pentheus, a man who was raised to be King and defender of the status quo who suddenly finds himself facing a force that is stronger than he.  We also cannot talk about coming out as a metaphorical death without acknowledging that too many in our community have been literally killed for trying to be who they are.  As this rite reaches its climax we will also honor those whose lives and deaths have affected our community.

Dionysos seduces Pentheus

Pentheus dominates Dionysos, or does he?