12ÛÜ2
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Theatre, 171 years later, the story of Nat
Turner remains controversial. The Portland
company stages Jerusalem : N at Turner’s
Uprising through May 26 at the Alberta
Station Ballroom. (See Page 32 for details.)
Turner was bom into slavery 200 years ago
in Virginia. According to his community, he
was marked by holy signs, plagued by visions and
regarded as a psychic and healer. His preaching
and leadership skills were known even to whites,
making him a threat to the social structure.
In 1831 Turner organized an uprising and,
with his followers, began a slow advance from
their farmhouse to the nearby town of
Jerusalem, Va. Their plan: to kill every member
of every slaveholding family on the way.
Turner was caught and during his trial was
asked, “Do you not find yourself mistaken
now?” He answered, “Was not Christ crucified?”
Hand2mouth will explore the abolitionist’s
role in U.S. history and whether his story is one
of courageous struggle or of terror and violence
(or both). The multiethnic cast has drawn inspi
ration from African music and dance, Eastern
European physical theater, puppetry, masks and
multiple accounts of oppression and revolution.
In the vein of Imago and Do Jump! Theatres,
they plan to dazzle the audience with stilt
walking, pyrotechnics and aerial choreography.
The company is providing a limited number
of free and discounted tickets to nonprofit and
youth groups. Call 503-235-5284 or e-mail
hand2mouththeatre@yahoo.com for more
information.
East meets West
P
hotographer Tseng Kwong Chi was bom
in Hong Kong in 1950 hut left as a teen
ager to study in Canada and Paris. In 1979,
the young, talented, queer boy wound up
in New York, where he quickly became
ensconced in the art and performance scene.
Worldly Tseng adapted to the city that
never sleeps but found himself still rather alien
ated as a gay Asian. Thus sprouted the East-
meets-West Expeditionary Series, part of
which is on display through June 1 at S K
Josefsberg Studio, 403 N.W. 11th Ave.
Tseng began photographing himself against
the backdrop of world landmarks such as the
Great Buddha in Kamakura, Japan, the Notre
Dame Cathedral in Paris and New York’s
Empire State Building. He wears a Chinese
Mao-period official uniform in every one.
Visually distinctive, the photos either
reflect Tseng as a very small everyman or as a
symbol of the tourists insistence on fitting in *
with the renowned subject. The photos suc
cessfully convey his own sense of the outsider
yet also the longing of all travelers to blend in
with their current environment.
And you can’t help but come away from
his Statue of Liberty or Disneyland shots with a
perception of chiding the cultural monuments
we find so important. The complete series
consists of 150 photographs taken around the
world over 10 years.
Having been given new meaning, Tseng’s
photo of himself in front of the World Trade
Center buildings will be part of the Cascade
A ID S Project A rt for Life auction May 11.
(See Page 31 for details.)
Tseng’s sense of humor is evident, too, in his
most famous series, as it was in his real-life
shenanigans. In the ’80s, the artist donned his
Mao duds, signature dark glasses and a self-made
identification tag to slip into various high-society
parties, private receptions and celebrity fund
raisers. The mysterious “ambassador” posed with
many a big name the likes of Andy Warhol,
Nancy Kissinger and Yves Saint Laurent.
The photographer also shot the residents
and artists of his stomping grounds in Manhat
tan’s East Village and used 50,000 frames of film
on his close friend Keith Haring’s graffiti and
murals, mostly in the New York City subway.
Tseng died of AIDS 12 years ago. His sister,
New York choreographer Muna Tseng, created a
multimedia dance production titled Slut for Art in
his memory. Esther Kaplan wrote in FOZ maga
zine shortly after the 1999 opening, “Muna’s trib
ute is never just about a single life that ended at
4 a.m. on March 10, 1990, but, as she says, about
‘the death of a community, an era,’ a gay subcul
ture that AIDS nearly wiped out.”
Flower power
T
he Daisy chain Music
Festival returns to
Mt. Tabor Theatre
& Pub for a second year J
Thursday, May 8 to
Sunday, May 12. The
event is the primary
fund-raiser for the Old
Town Clinic’s Women’s
Safe Passage and Respite
Fluid, which assists
women as they break the
chains of violence.
Last year Daisy-
chain raised $6,500
and received national
attention as a new
model for music
Rich sounds,
sweet tastes
festivals in linking art with social issues. “The
camaraderie enjoyed by the performers, volun
| are 400 volunteer slots to fill for Port
'here
teers and attendees was one of the fund-raiser’s
land Pride 2 0 0 2 — this year’s theme is “On
most empowering byproducts,” says event
he annual classical music and decadent
a Queer D ay...”— which takes over Water
dessert revue A Class Act returns to the
coordinator (or head gardener) Lisa Lepine.
front Park on June 15 and 16. Volunteers are
“Thousands came together to support women
Old Church 8 p.m. May 17. (See Page 31
needed for stage, parade, festival grounds and
for details.)
affected by poverty and violence. It was a
security in three-hour to all-day time slots. You
linkage— one person to another— that
The popular event—
can also help in the weeks before Pride by
made Daisychain bloom so brilliantly.”
always a sellout— includes
helping schedule volunteers.
live music followed by a
A total of 55 female-fronted Port-
A big festival takes a lot of helping hands.
dessert reception featuring
land-based bands take to two stages for
rich delights from some of
To offer yours, call 503-295-9788 or e-mail
the 21 -and-over event, and queer per
redcowboyboots@excite.com.
Portland’s finest sweeteries.
formers are not in short supply.
Pride also announces a national call for
We can report from experi
Susie Blue’s Los Angeles-honed indie
ence there is nothing, nothing
pop/rock will soothe your soul 11:15 p.m.
artists for the Codex of Queer Art exhibit on
Thursday in the Acoustic Room.
like waltzing about a room
the festival grounds during Pride weekend
followed by a show at O ur Dream Gallery/
picking up any delectable tid
Saturday night at 8:30
Alberta Arts Pavilion.
in the Acoustic Room is
bit you please and moving on
to the next brownie, éclair or
the “Songwriter Circle,"
Submissions are open to all lesbian, gay, bi
* J T which showcases the tal
or trans artists older than 18 residing in the
piece of chocolate fudge cake.
Singer Susannah
ents o f five local alternative
All proceeds go to the
United States. Mediums include all two- and
Mars graces the Old
chicks— all of them “members
Bill & Ann Shepherd Legal
three-dimensional projects, including photog
Church on May 17
of the community” in some
Scholarship Fund, which
raphy, sculpture, mixed media, fine crafts and
for A Class Act
shape or form. You get Leila
benefits third- and fourth-
prints. N o film, video, wearable art or mechan
C h ieko’s progressive pop/rock, Angie
year law students dedicated to donating part of
ical reproductions are allowed.
G olleher’s alt country, Patricia J u ’s coun
their legal expertise to fighting bigotry and dis
The postmark deadline for submissions is
trified pop, Maria W ebster’s folky blues and
crimination against sexual minorities.
May 11. Send four slides in plastic or cardboard
Juliet W yers’ “holy science acousto-pop.”
. This year musical theater
mount only or a
(This could get confusing, but probably
performer Susannah Mars, fresh
CD-ROM or zip disk
they’ll take turns.)
from her run in Artists Reperto
3 with four images (jpegs
ry Theatre’s Dinner with Friends,
Headlining the Main Room at 1 a.m. Satur
I or tiffs) formatted for a
day night is Captain Rock, who are queer in
will join musician Bill Wells for
PC to Reggie Petry,
more ways than one. Led by the outrageous
the evening’s entertainment.
Alberta Arts Pavilion,
antics of Beth Kelly (who, frankly, could beat
2315 N.E. Alberta St.,
up your dad), this hard-hitting group gives butt
Portland, OR 97211.
rock a good name.
Include a $20 check or
Closing out the Acoustic Room on Sunday
money order made out
Turner, Nat: 1800-
night is Vivian’s Keeper, who recently wel
to Alberta Arts Pavil
1831; brilliant visionary
comed Chieko into the fold. The band’s urban
ion as a submission fee.
who, acting on divine
folk starts at 9:30.
For more
instructions, led a revolt to
An all-event pass costs a startlingly
H P
information visit
free
his
people
from
slavery
low
$30.
(Consider
the
average
cost
of
www.pridenw.org,
See Captain
and was martyred.
just one band or how much you’ll fork
e-mail albertaarts®
Rock and other
over to see Ellen.) Wednesday and
b) Turner, Nat: 1800-1831;
yahoo.com or call
hot Portland
Thursday
only
is
sliding
scale
$8-$
12;
religious
fanatic
who
organized
503-288-3024 or
chick hands at
Friday,
Saturday
and
Sunday
only
is
the brutal massacre of 63 men,
503-282-7700. J H
the Daisichain
$10-$
15.
Tickets
can
be
had
from
women
and
children
and
was
Music Festival
Mt. Tabor Theatre & Pub, Music
hanged for treason.
Compiled by
Deaths pays a surprise visit to a field
Millennium or Fastixx.
According to Hand2mouth hand in Jerusalem: Nat Turner’s Uprising L isa B radshaw
History via
Hand2mouth
Helping hands for Pride
T :