decembßi 5. 2ÛÛ3 ». Ju s t o u t 37
CULTURE
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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.
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