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HIGH GEAR
APRIL 1976
OVEN PRODUCTIONS
Oven Productions is a nonprofit feminist production company whose purpose is to be a vehicle of feminist culture in the Cleveland area. We want to make the talents of women available to each other and the community through music, films, theater, art, literature and crafts.
Oven Productions got started because a few women realized that no one was going to produce the culture we could identify with unless we were willing to do it ourselves. The kind of production we are interested in and promote is not commercially popular or lucrative, precisely because the material and style of feminist culture runs in direct contradiction to the philosophy, values, and style of pop culture.
In the summer of 1975 Oven Productions started planning what we wanted to do. We could see that women's music was most widely probably the available cultural form that we could begin to share, both locally and nationally. Our first production was in October 1975 when we produced Margie Adam in concert. Our production efforts expanded from that point to include several more. concerts by women who are
By DALICE MILLER DENVER, Colo., March 6 A march and rally were held here today to celebrate International Women's Day.
The International Women's Day Coalition, led by members of October League (OL), had organized the action and had publicly stated that it was open to any women or men who accepted three main slogans: 1) Equal pay for equal work; Men and women unite to fight for women's rights; 2) Support liberation struggles of Third World peoples; 3) Women hold up half the sky.
The Lesbian-Feminist Workers of Denver upheid the three demands and wanted to participate in the march and rally. They also wanted to carry their own banners with slogans like "Capitalism and sexism work hand in hand, Unite to fight back," "Support Inez Garcia. self-defense is a right," and "Support child custody for lesbian mothers."
Before the march started, members of the October League approached the L-F Workers and stated that they could only march if they left their banners behind, because banners in support of lesbian rights would "turn off workers and minorities they don't relate to homosexuals." The L-F Workers strongly rejected OL's sexist demands and, as the march star-
-
doing national and regional tours. With each concert we learned more about how we could best accomplish what we set out to do. Our biggest task as a production company is to create the interest and following
Records, a recording company owned and run by women. Olivia distributes its own records through women in different cities all over the country. With the availability of records, and some tapes which more
now
Judy Bigelow and Mary Ann Huckabay at Godmother's II
for women artists who are struggling to define their own
art.
Our efforts to promote and produce women musicians has been supported tremendously. by the existence of Olivia
women are beginning to produce themselves, women's music is now beginning to be heard. The women who have performed in the Cleveland area who also have recorded for. Olivia records have been fan-
tastic in their willingness to share information and skills with Oven Productions.
Our efforts to produce women who are able to do national tours in only part of what Oven Productions is doing. We are vitally interested in producing women locally. So far we have sponsored Women's Nights at Godmother's 11, where Oven Productions provided musical entertainment.
Women's nights have been very successful because many women enjoy an all-women event, and they have provided several Cleveland women with opportunities to perform publicly to a supportive audience. Another recent event produced by Oven Productions was the Spring Equinox Festival in March, which was an arts and crafts display and entertainment in the evening. Again, all of the women who participated in the Equinox were from the Cleveland area.
Oven Productions is particularly interested in talking to women who are doing original material, and who are interested in working with a feminist collective. If you are interested, please contact us at 371-1697. UPCOMING EVENTS
ANTI-GAY BIGOTRY IN IWY COLO. MARCH
ted, unfurled their banners and prepared to join it. the group of predominately working class, Black and Chicano women holding the banners, shoving and hitting them in an attempt to tear down the banners. Some people were slightly injured in the scuffle.
The cops then intervened on the side of OL, telling the Lesbian Feminist women that they couldn't march on the street since only the International Women's Day Coalition had a parade permit.
In protest of the attack on the Lesbian-Feminist workers, Members of MECHA, a Chicano students' organization, and several other groups withdrew from the main march. The L-F workers had a separate march on the sidewalk with about 50 people participating.
The OL-led coalition, numbering about 80 people, marched to the State Capitol, had a rally, then dispersed.
The clash, naturally, was heavily publicized by the local capitalist media. One local TV commentator talked about how a "group of self proclaimed lesibians tried to muscle in on the International Women's Day march Today"! The Rocky Mountain News Sunday paper covered most of its front page
with a large photo and lead article entitled "Lesbian Feminists, Women's Coalition Clash in Denver March,"
GET HEP...
RAP
8 P.M. EVERY FRIDAY AT
THE FREE
CLINIC
The Lesbian-Feminist Workers of Denver are planning an open letter to the movement stating what happened on March 6 and asking for support for the rights
Photo by Marge Evitts
All events are open to general public unless noted otherwise
April 10th 8:00 p.m. Casse Culver in concert. Plymouth Church, Coventry and Weymouth Rds, Shaker Hts. Tickets $2.50 advance, $3.00 at door.
April 11th, Poetry Workshop with Big Mama. 1-4 p.m. 2420 S. Taylor. Admission $3.00 ($1.00 for unemployed) All women poetesses invited. Reservations. requested Call 371-1697
April 30th Holly Near in concert. 8:00 p.m. Harkness Chapel CWRU campus. Tickets $3.00 advance, $3.50 at door. Cosponsored by CWRU Women's Center and Campaign for a Democratic Foreign Policy.
May 22nd Chris Williamson in concert. Place and time to be announced.
Oven Productions advance tickets can be purchased at the following locations: Coventry Books, Appletree Books, Hemming and Hulburt Book-Sellers, CWRU Women's Center, Oberlini College Women's Center, Kent State Univ. Women's Center, Euclid Ave. Food Co-op, Woman-space.
of lesbian women to participate as equals in all women's movement events, and protesting sexist attempts to exclude them.
THE LESBIAN SWITCHBOARD
932-2669
CALL FOR: CLEVELAND AREA LESBIAN FEMINIST ALLIANCE MEETINGS
OVEN PRODUCTIONS
SISTERS PROGRAM LESBIAN MOTHERS
WRITER'S COLLECTIVE