MCLA Production Finds 'Absurdity of Prejudice' in Female Stereotypes
 Photos by Susan Birns
Kellinewby, a faculty member at MCLA, is Cinderalla in 'Commercial Break.' Below, Barbies lined up for a skit. |
The blind man says, "Well, I'm not going to tell it now, I don't want to have to explain it five times!"
Admit it; if someone told you that joke you'd laugh — or at least groan. You'd understand why it was supposed to be funny — blondes are dumb. Right? Or is it just another stereotype, like the tough woman boss who must be a bitch or the kvetching Jewish mother?
That was the questioned posed in the theatrical production of "Bitches, Bimbos, and Ballbreakers" at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts earlier this month. An original production based on eponymous "The Guerrilla Girls' Illustrated Guide to Female Stereotyping" and sponsored by the college's Susan B. Anthony Women's Center, the play marked Women's History Month, the 20th year of the college's minor in women's studies and the center's 15th year. It was part of the countywide Berkshire Festival of Women in the Arts.
"The Women's Center started planning this production over a year ago as part of their two-year theme to explore gender-based stereotypes," said Susan Birns, director of the center. "We came up with the idea to utilize the material from Guerrilla Girls after discussing the book ... which a staff member of the Women's Center brought to the group. We decided on the idea of adapting the book for a play."
The Guerrilla Girls are feminist artists who provide community education on sexism and expose prejudices, especially in the arts, said Birns. After several e-mail communications, the group gave permission for the adaptation.
(The Guerrilla Girls mount awareness campaigns, such as "Do women have to be naked to get into the Met?" which pointed out that only 5 percent of the artists exhibited in modern art were women but 85 percent of the women in the art were nude. They use the names of dead women artists and wear gorilla masks in public to protect their identities.)
Created by a team of seven MCLA faculty and students, Birns, Raechel Doughty, Holly Huffstutler, Kara McCall, Kellinewby, Nicole Pervere and Dawn Shamburger, the production ran two nights and the proceeds, about $800, went to the Elizabeth Freeman Center.
Half skits and half dramatic readings dispersed throughout the 90-minute production, the work evoked laughter and groans — sometimes the laughter so loud people had to strain to catch the next lines from the stage.
The players were equally enthusiastic said Kara McCall, a student and stage manager. "[We were] surprised and excited when 30 students showed up for the casting call."
The skits were written by members of the production team and mostly performed by MCLA students. "We wanted to showcase the students and bring them to the forefront as much as possible," said Birns.
Kellinewby, a faculty member at MCLA, wrote the monologue "Commercial Break: Cinderella's Mom Emporium," in which she played Cinderella, who through answering phone calls, brought out various stereotypes of mothers — from Jewish mothers to professional mother. "I originally was not going to also portray the piece after writing it," she said. "But the student [cast] had to pull out."
In "Presenting the Ethnic Doll Collection," students Rebecca Flecker and Danielle Gismondi did a fast-paced presentation of stereotypes using Barbie dolls that brought a roar of laughter; other skits included "The Girl Next Door," the feminazi, vamps, whores, women celebrities and more.
The call had gone out for readers for the dramatic passages taken directly from the book. Gail M. Burns, a local writer and performer, came into the process about six weeks before the premiere. Besides doing two readings, she directed and created overview segments of two women watching TV to bring the skits together. Readings covered the requisite blonde jokes, women leading lives as men, pimps, stepmothers, Betty Crocker, soccer moms and more.
It was funny, but as the production team stated in their program: "Female stereotypes aren't funny. They're dangerous. They're false. And they're ridiculous.
"Ridicule is a powerful thing — and it's been used to demean women for too long. Turn it around. Use it to point out the absurdity of prejudice. Laugh!" And the audience did.
