Hearing from Feminist Consumers

contributed by Ann Kosa

Behind every great women's event there are great women! Producers, artists, and technicians pool skills and enthusiasm presenting feminist culture to you and me. We, the audience are important to those hard working and committed women. They are providing a service which heightens our consciousness (sometimes along with our ire), stokes our energy, and helps us to love ourselves and each other.

We consumers of feminist culture sometime get lost in that impersonal collective noun, the aud ience. Traditionally, audience participation has been limited to hand-clapping, foot stomping, etc.-All very fine. However, where is the individual? That sea of humanity this side of the stage lights has a personality, a definition formed by individual opinions. responses.

An audience is a combination of

Now, if you attended the Alix Dobkin concert produced by Oven Productions a few weeks ago, you might recall two Cheshire cats who grinned their way through a nervous little rap on audience participation at feminist cultural events. They were Andrea Baker and Ann Kosa. With the encouragement of Oven women, we set out to gather the first audience response group in Cleveland (that we know of).

We found many women willing to participate, who gathered at The Three of Cups after the concert, ready to emote. In our responses to Dobkin's concert, Oven's production, Siren's sound and Stanton and Hirschberg's lighting, we found some commonalities; however, each woman had a distinctly personal impression to share. What do you do with all this reacting? It is most valuable as feedback. After each Oven production, generally the following day, a group composed of all the people involved in the event get together. This group now includes representation from the audience, who are, after all, a pretty important bunch.

A lot of work goes on at these sessions. Women involved in each phase of a production have specific areas of interest. Each performer may want to bring up issues she is concerned with. Consequently, the whole audience cannot be invited. (Besides, no one's house is big enough.)

The next best thing is to send representatives from the audience response group to act as sort of

consumer advocates. There is room for perhaps two or three women who took part in the group to go to the session, bearing in mind major directions of the audience group's responses, along with quoted comments of individual group participants. The audience had been a missing component in the Oven feedback sessions. We plan to make sure that will not be the case ever again. Oven will produce Wallflower Order on April 22 and those interested will once again meet at The Three of Cups after the performance to discuss and share our reactions to the performance. We hope to see the emer-

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gence of a regular and consistent group eventually. We will alternate representation at Oven's fee. back sessions.

This group is important because it reaffirms the feminist emphasis on egalitarianism. Our performers are not"stars" and their work is not "Show Biz". Sure, I admit to having a few "sheroes" in feminist entertainment, but they are not untouchable stellar characters. They are real people to relate with, not just to. At times they speak for us: how nice, how essential, that they also speak with us.

OF CUPS

FORMS BAR COMMITTEE

The Bar Committee has met regularly since the end of February and would like to emphasize that the Three of Cups can only succeed with the help and committment of the women's community. This community clearly needed a public place where woment could gather in a comfortable hassle-free atmosphere. Now we have it, and it is time for all of us to define the space the way we want it. The Bar Committee has prepared the following statement about its' purpose: the bar committee is made up of women who use the bar and realize their help is necessary for its survival. It's the place where any woman can have some say in what goes on (for a change). Any woman can be a part of it.

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Day, checking out the basement for dancing, etc.) The bar and restaurant are committed to providing an environment for women which is comfortable and friendly and which responds to each woman who walks in the door as intelligent, important, and worthy of respect. It is also a mode for other feminist businesses and is a vehicle which will eventually bring financial and practical resources to the women's movement as well as provide a model for other neighborhood businesses and organizations which it contacts.

The committee extends an invitation to any woman who would like to put her energy into a working situation with other women in the context of a woman's business to come to a meeting. We need women who can make a definite time commitment, who believe in the importance of woman-defined space, and have some ideas to share about the use of that space. We also need women to share the day-to-day work of the bar and restaurant. That work includes bartending, hospitality, and cleanup, Monday through Saturday, for the bar and waitressing and food preparation for the restaurant. We also need to expand our base of support and share the philosophy, work, sense of ownership of the Three of Cups with more women. Call the bar (561-9827) or stop by if you can do work. Also, watch for announcement in the bar about the next committee meetings.

Many women have asked where the name of the bar came from. In the Tarot, the Three of Cups signifies abundance, victory, a healing to come, a conclusion of a matter in plenty, perfection and har. mony, comfort, trust, and great happiness. The symbol of three women raising their goblets is the spirit we want to share. Come join us!

NOW URGES URGES

LESBIAN

PARTICIPATION IN IWY

In keeping with the plea of the National Gay Task Force for lesbian participation in the IWY conference to be held in every state, culminating in a national conference in Houston in November, the N.O.W. Sexuality Task Force is urging all of its members and all of the lesbians of Ohio to attend the Ohio IWY/Conference in Columbus, at the Fairgrounds, starting 8 A.M. on June 11th and 12th. The only way we can direct the resolutions coming from the workshops toward specific legal action in the areas of legislation and civil rights is by our active participation. Also, the Sexuality Task Force Coordinator, Arlene Ross, is running as open lesbian delegate to the National IWY conference, and she needs your presence as registered voters in order to win that representation for us. For further information, inexpensive transportation, or housing, call Ohio Lesbian Coalition at (216) 291-2067 .

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The bar committee:

. 1. helps decide bar policies and programs and puts them into action.

2. helps with communication

a. from bar matrons to managers to-handling complaints and ideas.

b. froin managers to users--getting the word out on what's going on.

c. among bar users--keeping up the bulletin board, helping women get to know each other and feel comfortable (hospitality)

d. with the outside community--publicizing and explaining the bar.

3. organizes volunteers to do all the things that need to be done (daily work crews, special things like cleaning days, special events like St. Patrick's

What's New at the Three of Cups

The Three of Cups restaurant opened Tuesday, April 13th, for lunch and dinner. The atmosphere is wonderful--fresh flowers and woven place-mats on the tables, with friendly women bringing steaming dishes from the kitchen. The menu includes

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choices of homema Daily specials inserved with a variety of BRAR breads daily.

clude chili (vegetarian and with meat fresh fra for dessert and a selection duit eLiga and cof

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fee. Linda Preuss, restaurantong enlarge the menynclude more dishes and salads. The menu is also available on a take-out basis. The restaurant opens at 11:30 a.m. for lunch and stays open until 7 p.m. for dinner Monday through Friday. For anyone who wants a reasonably priced, delicious meal in a comfortable atmosphere, The Three of Cups Restaurant is highly recommended.

May, 1977/What She Wants/page 1