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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 2003)
decembßi 5. 2ÛÛ3 ». Ju s t o u t 37 CULTURE ............. ▼.............. PHOTO BY Now that’s big ometimes heroes don’t carry a gun, some times victories don’t make headlines, and sometimes miracles happen in the most unlikely of places. Last month G rant High School's Per 80 forming Arts Department brought to the stage one of the oldest plays in the Western canon, Aeschylus’ tragedy The Women Sup by B a r t C h u r c h pliants, updated as a very modem, very con troversial and very magical ’80s musical, Big a big issue tor them. Frankly, we were more Love (hy New York historian and playwright worried about the play’s use of pagan imagery Charles M ee). and ritual, as well as its celebration of powerful Drama teacher Trisha Todd (who you will girls and their right to chixise to love and be remember as Claire in the 1992 film CLure the way their heart guides them.” o f the Moon), assisted hy amazing choreogra In the end, Txld needn’t have worried. pher Judith Rizzio (who is also public affairs “These issues, tix>, didn’t faze the amazing par director at Our House of Portland), a cast of ents, faculty and administration at Grant.” more than 50 absolutely energized student Indeed, when asked it she had received any actors and a solid tech crew, managed to fell complaints about the prixluction, principal a story about love, justice, powerful women Toni Hunter said: “Not a one. The show is and drag queens that was so moving and about today’s issues. 1 received nothing but pos funny, it restored my hope that art can make itive comments...I personally saw it tour times. a difference in this insane world. We are very proud of the work the students Great stories well told will always restore and volunteers did with the show." our faith in the power of love— not silly, romantic love, hut Big Love— a love that cxld, who identifies as lesbian, notes that allows 49 brides to brutally kill their husbands her “biggest draw" in staging Big Love was on their collective wedding night; a love that that the work is “very empowering to casts a drag queen as a powerful, sad and fabu girls. T he last thing a young girl these days lous voice of the Gods; and a love that makes would say is that she is a feminist. That is room tor two guys in drag to close the show tantamount to saying she is a bulldyke. T he with a tap duet. In a high schixJ play. right (wing) has been successful in making it This is not the Guys & Dolls retread you completely unattractive to be a powerful girl. saw in high schixd. It grapples head-on with As a result, girls often are very concerned ancient and all-too-relevant issues: women’s about how they are perceived, and they lose rage at the violence of men, the impossible sight of their own desires.... This play says constraints of being a woman (or a man), the we always have a choice, can always follow need for war and violence, how to re-create our heart, even if the consequences aren’t Culture Club's “Karma Chameleon” in a what we want. This play Greek tragedy without dis says be who you are, love honoring the genius of who you love.” Aeschylus or Roy George. T xld also likes the G rant’s production not updating of the classic text only dealt with these and thought students would, issues, but it also allowed tixi. “The '80s music is great its high schixil and middle because on the surface it is schixil student and parent really light and fun, but audiences to feel the there is often a subtext that tragedy, hope and absurdi is really dark and sad. You ty of trying to love and be have to remember the ’80s just in a world gone mad. were the time of...Adam And best of all, it gave Ant, glam rix:k and Reagan girls and queens the right and A ID S.” to be strong. It’s difficult to single out “T he adults involved —Trisha Todd only a few in a courageous with the prixluction were student prixluction full of initially worried about the actors who crossed gender and age lines to do drag elements, but the kids said, ‘W ho cares.7’ ” things they never thought they could, in a Txld tells me on the show’s final weekend. show where the big wedding scene (50 brides “They really supported...cast members who and 50 grixims) is a bacchanalia danced to played these parts. The kids get it. It’s just not S Grant High pulls off feminism, ’ s glam and drag queens— with no complaints T “This play says we always have a choice...even if the consequences aren't what we want. This play says be who you are , love who you love I “Love Shack.” Big Love was the epitome of a talented ensemble cast. Brett Mus tard, 18, who dared to play Dionysus and the drag queen Guiliano as a senior in high schfx>l, did so with an enor mous amount of grace and sensitivity, par ticularly during a soulful mono logue about an older man who loved him and who he regret fully rejected. Some char acters were double cast, with student actors trading places between performances. Trisha T xld and Brett Mustard created Big lan e at Grant High School In the produc tion I saw, Jessi son, AJ Glueckert, do a brilliant job), we are ca Harris portrayed the powerful Thyona with buying a miracle. authenticity and complexity, and Jake Reek- Grant is trying to rebuild its crumbling, ford managed to embody the character Nikos’ historic auditorium, which was featured in the contradictions and humanity. famous movie about the power of high schixil Rosa Olsen-McKenzie, who played the old art, Mr. Holland's Opus. If the spirit of giving mother, Bella, embodied the heart and soul of grabs you this season, write a check— it may the show when she said: “Love trumps all. be the best investment you’ll ever make in Love is the highest law. It can be bound by no queer and human liberation. other. Love of another human being, man or And thank the gods for public schixds like woman, it cannot be wrong.” Grant. If drag queens and strong women are W hen you don’t have children in schix>l, allowed be stars in high schixil, they just you sometimes might wonder where your might grow up to run the world JH taxes are going. Based on this production and the more than 100 students, parents and To make a donation, semi checks to GRANT volunteers who worked day and night and H igh S chcxx . T heater R enovation in care o f the hundreds of audience members (includ Tnsha Todd, 2245 N.E. 36th‘Ave., Portland, ing one proud grandmother who flew in OR 9 7212. from Omaha, Neb., to see her opera-loving Dignity in Safe Schools < t EQUITY F O Î T V I a t o n Invofmg rn uipirry Your gift to Equity is an investment in dignity. A Gay-Straight Alliance can make all the difference. That's why Equity Foundation is proud to be a sponsor of Safe Schools projects throughout the state, including at Madison High School in Portland. Equity Foundation s Safe Schools Initiative assures that all youth have the opportunity to learn in an environment free of bullying and harassment. Make your contribution today so young people across Oregon can feel safer in their schools. PO t o i 5696 Portland, OR F o u n d ««! in 1989 by O r*«jo n * G ay a d L « sb u n com m unity W W W . C Q U i l y f 0 U n d d t i 0 n . o r g 97228-5696 A d six x n o 'y d by Marvin Sa il«» H v .llo ' and Suvan N*>»tor. 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