What? Whisper to a Scream is a feminist peformance art collective.

Who? Its membership evolves with each performance.

Why? Whisper to a Scream's mission is to use art through all mediums to create awareness that leads to action that helps eradicate the barriers that keep women from being recognized as full, autonomous human beings in society.

Whisper to a Scream's monthly themed spoken-word and works-in-progress event She Speaks was recently featured in Great Lakes Life Magazine! Click here to read the Full Cleveland column in pdf format.

The Review of Microscopes & Megaphones by Sarah Valek:

Feminism has come a long way, but there's still plenty of work to be done. Even though women have made strides in reproductive choice, education and the workplace, females are still held back by widespread uncertainty, timidness or by being perceived as "too fat to love" (or too this or too that...). 

Indeed, the devil is in the details. 

This was the main message of Microscopes & Megaphones, a performance put on by feminist art collective Whisper to a Scream that was part of Cleveland Public Theater's risk-taking Big [Box] 2010 series.

Microscopes & Megaphones was built out of rage--the initial feeling Whisper to a Scream founder Maria Miranda experienced after reading an article about a woman in Congo who died after giving birth because American politicians made no attempt to help her (or other poor women in underserved countries). 

Enter creative activism. 

Microscopes & Megaphones was divided into 11 scenes/skits that explored different facets of patriarchy, sex and love through dance, poetry, monologues and good ol' theater. Heady topics, yes, but the play never took itself too seriously. This wasn't "bumper sticker" activism--much of the work was open-ended for the audience to draw their own conclusions. 

The expertly-crafted monologue "Punctuations." kicked off the show. Written by Miranda, this piece underscored the politics of grammar, inciting women to make statements, not questions. (Say "I want a raise." [period] and "I'm leaving him." [period] rather than asking "Should I get a raise?" [question mark] and "Should I leave him?" [question mark]). The word play was intricate, clever and inspiring. A great opener. 

"Contemplating the Misogyny of High Heel Shoes aka I Love My Combat Boots" was just that--performer Laura Swedenborg danced across the stage with intended unease as she examined a bag full of high heel shoes. Excerpts of other women's perspective on heels were read in the background. Interesting but lengthy. 

Sex and the absurd rules women follow to win a date (ex: eat less, lose weight, dress sluttier) were brought to light in the hilarious "2F2F." Staged as a TV show complete with audience cue cards ("Laugh," "Awww..."), this performance starred Candy, a woman who worried she was too fat to have sex. After consulting with her BFF and getting it on with her boyfriend, she came to the conclusion that guys don't care what you look like as long as long as you'll screw. To put it bluntly, no one is "too fat to fuck." 

"Johnny," performed by Mindy Childress Herman and Amy Pawlukiewicz, juxtaposed a mom yelling at her son with a woman talking dirty to her lover, ultimately drawing a parallel between a woman's act of making love and giving birth. 

Kate Bishop, a self-described "sex-postive third-wave radical queer feminist" wrote one of the final scenes. Four performers took turns telling a detailed coming-of-age memoir of one woman's foray into same-sex lust, specifically oral sex. Contrary to her perceived heterosexuality, she found herself smitten with "Veronica," and was forced to reevaluate her self-identity. The performers took different perspectives of the situation: one was clinical, always citing research about bisexuality and Kinsey Reports; one was innocent and self-conscious; one overtly bold; and the other was pretty level-headed. 

Overall, Microscopes & Megaphones featured stellar performances, impeccable writing and a good mix of mediums. However, the performance clocked in at a whopping 2 hours and 40 minutes (!!). While every piece had its place--they were all excellent in one way or another--some serious editing would have made the point hit home a little harder. 

Still, major kudos to Whisper to a Scream for an afternoon of quality consciousness raising theater.

We want to thank Cleveland Public Theatre and everyone who came out to support Microscopes&Megaphones. The feedback from women has been tremendous and we know we're moving in the right direction.

Here are some choice words from attendees:

"Tagging on this email to tell you how much I enjoyed last friday night's M & M performance. It's the first time i've ever seen you take center stage and I enjoyed every minute of the quartet which will go nameless in my work generated email. But like so much of the show, your four took us on a brave journey, full out, not holds barred...into uncharted waters. I don't think one person (okay maybe ONE but no one i was sitting near) did not get taken in from the first moment and go along for the entire ride, and I'm talking fighting over the front seat of the roller coaster - hands in the air - eyes wide open - laughing all the way. Awesome."

"Last weekend some work friends and I attended the Saturday performance of 'Microphones and Megaphones.' This was a first for the three women who accompanied me, comprised of two nurses and a social worker. To my delight, they have not stopped speaking about their experience, how surprised they were at the quality of the perfomances, and the content given the surprising low cost of the tickets. All have vowed to return to CPT for additional offerings. What most surprised me was their response to your announcement about the ticket sales going to Preterm. From two devout catholics and one lapsed Baptist, I expected some bristling. They were outspoken in their support of CPT's generostity. You are to be commended for continuing to offer a venue for local writers and artists, taking a public stand in support of women's issues, and maintaining a quality theatre."

"..So, that was fucking glorious. You accomplished something to be proud of, a level of polish and ease that was far above what I imagined. You brought this work to life with a sweetness and sincerity. Seeing these voices become bodies become ensemble pumped me full of joy, set my heart off like a rocket. Having you tell this story back to me made me feel like I can do fucking anything. I got EMPOWERED. We collaborated in a deeply feminist adventure and put a girl-on-girl love story, complete with a live sex act, on public display as credible high art. Yeah, that happened, that revolution got told. This was actual real witchy magic, to bless the people with that spell. You know that quote, "If a woman told the truth about her life the world would split open"? Telling our stories, the whole tender funny awkward luscious tale, is the sharpest tool we have to dismantle patriarchy. You did this play. It shifted the world an increment further toward its better self. Truth."

"Bravo! The show was a success! Thought provoking and humorous! Looking forward to seeing more of your feminist collaboration!"

site design by ian beers art+design

site design by ian beers art+design