Being a theater major, I have had the opportunity to be exposed to many different kinds of theater and performance. However, only a small portion of that has been able to be categorized as having feminist themes. Young Jean Lee’s Untitled Feminist Show is my first exception. I had to go see this show last Saturday knowing only that I expected it to be weird and full of nudity. Seeing the title Untitled Feminist Show, I realized that even as a feminist, I have a lot of bias and preconceived notions on what would make it a feminist show. I totally expected it to be this angry, in your face, piece about the right way to be a feminist, and if you aren’t that specific type of person, you’re a terrible human being. I really couldn’t have been any more wrong about this, however.
Young Jean Lee’s Untitled Feminist Show at Baryshnikov Arts Center is a show made up of short sequences that encompass every different kind of feminist and questions gender politics. It was performed by six female-bodied actors but not all of these performers identified as female. This intention was super interesting to me because it’s a choice so subtle that if you didn’t read the program, you wouldn’t know. However, it’s really important for bringing every side of the feminist experience into the show.
The show itself was more of a whimsical dance, full of humor, that created connections between a Utopian feminist culture and the world we live in now. The piece had no written text, so all the stories and characters were portrayed through movement. This choice gave them the ability to stay away from just spewing ideologies, and instead, they focused on opening the minds of the audience to new possibilities
If you have the chance, I totally recommend going!!! It was a great experience to see feminism at work in the theater community and in the world.
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