The Body Political, June 2018
Last Saturday (ok 2 Saturdays ago, I’ve been writing this post for a week) was our 6th show of The Body Political. It felt so good to be back home in the Bay Area, after taking the show out to a new audience in Denver earlier this year. It’s been so exciting to watch The Body Political grow from just an idea that Andi and I had into what it is today, and I’m eager about the promise and momentum it has to continue growing.
The Body Political is a community I cherish. A community of performers, supporters, and more. Gratitude doesn’t begin to express the feeling I have as I watch so many beautiful, personal stories pour into our inbox during our application period. The fact that we’ve created a space where performers want to bring their most vulnerable work is a huge point of pride for me. When I watch people talk about our show, share it on social media, and take the time to write about it for the press, I’m reminded me that Andi and I are not the only ones carrying the pride of this show, that it truly is a community project that people want to feel part of. When I look out at a packed and attentive audience at the end of every show, I’m nearly brought to tears every goddamn time. Through the stage lights I see a room full of people not only witnessing others’ stories, but finding a connection with their own bodies, their own stories, their own truths. This is the transformative power of live performance that I love so much.
Our show is more than a collection of moments on a stage. It is a spark that gets passed from candle to candle, illuminating the scared, alienated, and shamed parts of ourselves that thrive in the darkness. We bring these parts into the light and tell each other, and ourselves: “You are not alone. Your feelings, experiences, joy, and pain are uniquely yours and can never be represented by anyone but you, and we are here to witness them, to embrace them, to empathize with them. You are not alone.” In a world that insists on telling every single one of us what we are and aren’t capable of, what we can and can’t do with our own bodies, where we can travel, whose lives matter, who our families are and aren’t, and countless other divisive forms of control, we’re creating space for resistance and resilience. We’re creating a new world that respects and honors each of our stories, affirms all the complexities that we each hold, and learns from the joy and pain of our lived experiences. We invite everyone to join us in creating this world, together, because there is no other way it can happen.
With all that being said, below is a list of all of the people I’d like to thank this time around:
Our Cast
Ophelia Coeur de Noir
Luscious D
Miss Botero
Mone’t Ha-Sidi
Angsty Andy
Katori Knight & Emjay Mercury
Magnoliah Black (Irene McCalphin)
Aurora Rose (Joshuah Ciafardone)
Tas Al-Ghul
Chicky Brulee
Our Femcee
Magnoliah Black (Irene McCalphin)
Our Crew
Sophilya Leggz
Lusty Lola (Lola McCall)
Vera Lea Blythe (Jade Sales-Lee)
Tia Marie Paquin
Astra Kim
Dustin A. Sklavos
Jet Noir
Our Sponsors
The Crash Pad Series
Studiomix
Revelation in Fit, Oakland
So… I Had An Abortion
Our Raffle Donors
Body Chemistry
Jet Noir
Ageless Skin Care (Sveta Grishpul)
Bawdy Storytelling (Dixie De La Tour)
Good Vibrations
Irene McCalphin
Pervy Pins
Sue Fisher King (Ava Lanche)
Showgirl Temple
Gothfox Designs
Micah Riot
Glam Jam (RedBone)
Hubba Hubba Revue (Jim Sweeney)
Angel Cakes (Jen Angel)
Our Board
Jet Noir
Magnoliah Black
Our Donors
Y’all know who you are 😉
Our Beloved Press
Jessica Lipsky
East Bay Express
My amazing co-producer, Andi Stardust, who causes my heart to swell so big when we dream together, and keeps me sane when the dreaming carries me away 😉 I love you so much and am so proud of us!
My incredibly patient and loving partner, Clayton Dewey, who grounds me when everything feels like too much, and reminds me that I am magic.
All of my friends and family who continue to support the show in countless ways
And of course, our incredible audience who keep coming back, bringing friends, and bearing witness to our stories. Hope to see you on our stage sometime!
Until next time- keep loving, keep fighting,
xoxo,
Laika Fox