Words in Motion

Big

Mama

The Big Mama performance was an explosion of words in motion. This performing poetry troupe brought a whole new and beautiful dimension to poetic expression by combining music, drama, dance and poetry into a vivid and, for the most part, effective sensory experience.

It grabbed us in places where some of us hide, and each member bravely shared her common and uncommon insights. It was not sterile: it breathed.

As Meredith Holmes said in These Poems, "I want these poems to run up to you, hot in the face, blurting the news." Some did shout out their message, others came up from behind, and some drifted in and rested warm in our laps.

In the beginning of the performance, much impact was lost through words spoken too quickly, too softly or too unemotionally. Then Sally Pirtle burst in with Dreams From the Last Year of Marriage. Obviously

comfortable with many artistic modes of expression, Sally danced with her words, and her face mirrored the feelings she spoke of. "...like a young sapling.. pulled down by the weight of vines, I cannot disentangle where I begin and he leaves off. I am a frantic child trying to keep pace with my mother. And yet when I reach for his hand there is nothing. He is always just beyond me, lost in the thick trees." And later, I left with them when the snow was beginning to fall and as we emerged into the cold, they turned into tall ostriches with strong legs. I climbed on one's back and galloped away."

Incredibly effective was the way the Big Mama women performed sensitively with each other to make each person's poem a polished presentation, Body movements, echoed words, wailing, dancing, and facial expressions made each phrase more polgnant and comprehensible.

The poems vere rich with images, literary purpose and power and are each meant to be heard and savored again and again. Some of the poems particularly sparkled in the light of pe formance.

The Making, Ly Mary Larkin was one such poem. A Journey into her poet's mind vividly portrayed by the use of drame coupled with the strength of her words. "The easy times are over-when words were my lovers...it is a new time now. They are mocking me--like the screech of the buzz say. Hysterical--obstinate..." Then her words (spoken by other members) shouted at her, "Fool! Fool! We will escape you. We will not be your mirror to see yourself... we are black and violent, too. We hate and kill when provoked."

Graphic descriptions carefully placed spoke from many of Barbara Angell's poems. In Puzzles she saw the world through the eyes of a child. Barbara recited, "At nap time mother locks me in the room page 10/December, 1977/What She Wants

and spies through the glass over the door, spying like Jesus, watching me watching me watching her and me, lying in my iron crib, faking sleep, watching her watching me.

Meredith Holmes poems are full of vivid images and pointed driven hard. Unfortunately, her voice was often too quiet and her beautiful words sometimes got lost in the caged fury of her delivery. However, in Your Lover's Body, her quiet power worked. She said, "When your lover's body becomes a stranger, you are on the bench...your lover's body turns its back to you in bed--the spine hissing and coiling. Your lover's body stands over a stranger's stove and sautees onions."

Many of Marguerite Beck-Rex' verses were clear and to the point and full of insight on life-stages. In her delightful poem, Shopping with my Small Son, she said, "How can I tell you only females can flash tawdry fire--that rhinestone risk is rated by sex--that women are forgiven baubles, cheap charms and tinsel...wear them without gender, darling, for your own pleasure and I will string plastic jewels on my sex for fun...'

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Marguerite used subtle sarcasm to drive home her point in Genesis: a Liturgical Chant where she turned the tables on Genesis to declare that women came before man. She and other members chanted in fine Gregorian style, "Before Him was a first day but He could not imagine a day withour Himself.. a day of Being without Knowing--so, whether intending good or ill--he lied."

Musician Betsy Reeves wove melodic and percussive elements into the fabric of the poetry to set a mood or emphasize a phrase or the sapces between the words. She added fullness and drama to the performance.

the performance by Big Mama was was courageous and sensitive. In their words lies the essence of many of our shard experiences as women in this society. In their verbalizations lies the promise of the future through the wisdom of the past. There was humor, celebration, truth and anguish written in their poens and on their faces. Their offerings were, in the words of Many Ann Larkin, "birth-words-clear in new born wetness. Light words written in bone in flesh. Shining bone-words of light."

--Christine Haynes

COMING ATTRACTION... VARIETY SHOW

Every woman who watched or participated in last year's Variety Show should be awaiting our 3rd Annual Variety Show scheduled for February 11. This event is not dull talent contest. t is a warm, supportive and exciting.environment where anything and everything is shared. The environment--our community--was so supportive last year that many women performed for the first time in front of a large audience, and some have been doing it since then. The material, the artistic styles, and levels or profesionalism were as varied as the 20-30 women who performed. The event truly is a "variety'' show, and because of that, it is valued as one of the best Oven events of the year.

The show is put together at planning meetings held on Sundays in January. Anyone interested in being part of this year's variety show (performers, writers, etc.) should start brainstorming and come to the meetings January 8, 15 and 29 and the run throughs February 5 and 10. During the winter of 1977, those planning sessions were so wild and thought-jamming that they got the women involved through the frozen weeks.

Tickets are sold in advance at $3, $5 and $10 and at the door at $3.50, $5 and $10 (according to your ability to pay). The variety show is a benefit for Oven Productions (proceeds go toward paying for sound equipment), and it can be just a beginning in some women's creative lives.

This production is a women-only event.

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New Year's

The Three of Cups and Oven Productions are joining forces New Year's Even to offer a special party at the bar. This evening at the Three of Cups will be unlike any ordinarily entertaining Saturday evening at the bar. Tickets must be purchased in advance for the party, and they are limited to 150 people. This will insure a comfortably cozy environment. For your ticket price ($6 or $10), an entire evening of fun, food, drink, dancing, games, and prizes is offered to you. Just some of what you'll get with your ticket is: a buffet (food you won't want to pass up); live D.J.'s playing good dance music through Oven's sound system; champagne at midnite; munchies; and door prizes throughout the evening.

BOGA=HCPS

OVEN PRODUCTIONS 1978 Calendar

NEW YEAR'S Party at Three of Cups

FEB. 11 Third Annual Variety Show MARCH 11 -Mona Golabak, Concert Planist

MAT A Theatre Event

JUNE Sweet Honey in the Rock