Oven productions

p.o. box 18175, cleveland heights, ohio 44118 (216) 321-0692-

Sweet Honey in the Rock:

A Beautiful Blend of Politics and Music

On Friday, December 1st, Oven Productions brought Sweet Honey in the Rock to Cleveland. As a member of the production collective, I was fortunate enough to accompany the group to all of their appearances during their stay here. Sweet Honey worked hard while they were here, and I feel that Oven Productions did a great deal to provide exposure for the group.

Before their arrival, Evelyn Hayes did a beautiful job in getting publicity. Exposure included pieces in Cleveland Magazine, The Plain Dealer, The Cleveland Press, and an appearance on WEWS-TV Morning Exchange. Evelyn also arranged their first appearance in Cleveland, a Thursday afternoon workshop at Karamu Theater. About 50 people, mostly young and black, attended the workshop. Sweet Honey blossomed in the intimate atmosphere of the Arena Theater at Karamu, and warmly invited the audience there to sing along and identify with the music they offered. Bernice Reagon spoke about the historical importance of black music to black Americans and how music can communicate the history of political struggle. The group encouraged and answered questions from this audience.

On Thursday evening, Sweet Honey performed in informal concert on the Case Western Reserve University campous, co-sponsored by the CWRU Women's Center, Mortar Board Society, and Western Reserve College. The group began their performance with a series of songs, all of which were songs of the political experience of black people, and once again Bernice Reagon asked the predominantly white audience to identify with their message as much as they could. Using the same format, they then asked for questions and comments from the audience. Unfortunately, the acoustics at the Hallinan Center were very bad, so questions and answers were barely audible. Sweet Honey did state that in order to share their music, which is their primary political tool, they must make records and perform as much as they can. They have also found that their avenues for exposure have changed somewhat. Bernice commented that in the old Civil Rights days, there were hundreds of political groups all over the country that constituted a network for performances. Now, she sees that a women's network has emerged; however, it is a network of white women's groups. These groups do not necessarily provide the audiences that Sweet Honey wished to reach. When asked if they feel comfortable with feminist groups, Bernice responded that the question was loaded, but that yes, basically they did, and that it took work to make those contacts constructive. Sweet Honey received a standing ovation from this audience, which had heard a pointed political message.

The Friday evening concert brought a capacity crowd to the Cuyahoga Community College Metro Campus Auditorium. Several songs struck chords of response in this attentive audience, particularly "Give Your Hands to Struggle", "Show Me the Way", "Fannie Lou Hamer", and "Everywoman". In formal concert, Sweet Honey demonstrated the range of their music, from the older political songs of the Civil Rights Movement, to blues, to the fast rhythmic material the group has recently recorded. Earlier the group had said that their instruments are their voices, and that they had chosen that mode so

that they could perform anywhere easily. They also requested that house lights inside the auditorium be brought up so that they could see their audience and encourage participation.

As performers, Sweet Honey has chosen to use less personal individual experience of their own, and more to document the significance of events and peo-

ple whose political contribution has made it possible for black people to be where they are today. They also expect their audiences to relate to this documentation as part of a political process. It seems that their performance asked for an understanding of the scope of political struggle among oppressed peoples, rather than for personal identification with them as women. The content of their lyrics was less personally oriented than much of the material other feminist performers have written.

During intermission and after the concert many

people expressed their opinions of the concert. Au-● dience reaction seemed to be somewhat mixed. Some apparently did not expect the a cappella style, and would have found some more instrumentation more interesting. Others felt inhibited about participating more actively in singing along. The overall reaction I heard, however, was that this concert was one of the best that Oven Productions had produced. A technical problem with sound was taken care of early by the SyrenSound women. Lights were handled expertly by Debra, Mary, and Jamie. Activity in the Lobby allowed several groups to share information. with the audience. Post concert festivities continued with another capacity crowd at the Side Door. Sweet Honey in the Rock was a challenge to Oven Productions, but we want to thank the many people who made it so successful for us, and for Sweet Honey in the Rock.

The next event Oven Productions will produce is the Fourth Annual Cleveland Women's Variety Show, The Variety Show has been an event that Cleveland women have always enjoyed. We welcome serious performers (musicians, poets, dancers, etc.)

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but we also want to welcome any woman who would like to do skits, props, make costumes, etc. We ask that you have Sunday evenings free for planning and rehearsals for the month of January and part of February. The first planning meeting will be Sunday, January 7, at 7:30 p.m. at 2328 Grandview, 2nd Floor.

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A JOB OPPORTUNITY WITH OVEN! -Susan Woodworth

New Questions for Feminism (Continued from page 2)

personal and organizational areas, women maintain a unified, positive outlook to avoid the appearance of becoming "bogged down" in conflict. Yet individual women and groups are being criticized, ostracized, and rejected for both interpersonal and political reasons. Little of this surfaces; women too often turn away from confronting differences and working toward their resolution.

I am not suggesting that we see open.dialogue as a solution to all problems. What seems important is to recognize when to use it and for what purpose. For it was this perception which got us moving in the first place. Van Gelder says it well:

Women brand-new to feminism can't be expected to share the old-time activist's automatic allegiance 10

the movement's good reputation. They want help—just as we did two or five or 12 years ago when we first perceived feminism as nourishment for a hunger that we may never before have named. And we need their help. Without it, we ossify the growthproducing dialogue that defines a movement, particularly this one. To treat other women as constituencies to be wooed with preselected facts, instead of as sisters to ourselves, is not only patronizing-it's unfeminist. And truly dangerous.

What She Wants is committed to making public what women want and need to hear. We encourage you to use this space for voicing concerns which otherwise would have no outlet for expression. This publication and this community belong to you.

-Carol Epstein

January, 1979/What She Wants/Page 11