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Unholy unpacks being a contemporary woman in organized religion

Written by: Diana Flacks Directed by: Kelly Thornton Produced by: Nightwood Theatre Shown at: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre In rapid-fire debate with complex and heart-wrenching backstories, Unholy addresses every inner conflict any woman has when considering her place in religion. Unholy is written in a talk show-style where the audience gets to vote throughout the debate on which side they agree with. Four women from drastically different religious backgrounds face off on the question, “Should women abandon religion?” On the “no” side is Yehudit Kalb, a Rabba and Maryam Hashemi, a progressive Muslim lawyer. On the “yes” side a lesbian atheist, Liz Feldman-Grant, and an ex-communicated nun: Margaret Donohue. Liz, played by Flacks, gives a forceful performance. As the women grapple over issues like the right to wear a niqab, Liz is more aggressive in her approach than the others - determined to prove that organized religion is an unnecessary evil. Maryam, played by Bahareh Yaraghi, is her fiercest opponent. The two face off in a heart versus head battle. This rivalry carries out of the debate and into their personal lives. The audience gets a glimpse into Maryam and Liz’s tumultuous relationship outside of the debate, making their moments of intense disagreement during the debate even more complex and heated. These moments provided the background context needed to understand each woman’s position. The audience sees Margaret, played by Barbara Gordon, in her past struggling with the ethics of her role as a nun. Yehudit, played by Niki Landau, takes us back to her sister’s wedding and her own internal debate there. Unholy isn’t afraid to touch on sensitive subjects. Every time the subject material moves into the uglier territories of bigotry informed by both religion and secularism, at least one of the women reigns everyone back in. Liz’s character appears deeply reflective of Flacks’ own experience turning from Judaism to atheism. Flacks researched each position and religion extensively before putting this performance together. It is this base of human experience that makes each performance so compelling. Yehudit and Maryam, women who have worked so hard in their own faiths to encourage and inspire progression, tug on your heartstrings. Liz and Margaret do the same as women who have seen the worst of religion and the damage it can do. Flacks explained in the Q & A afterwards, love, what she describes as “a great counterpoint to the damage religion and god causes,” is what lurks behind each woman’s experience and perspective. Unholy does a thorough job of unpacking the difficulty facing women involved with inherently misogynistic religions. When the host, played by Blair Williams, asks you to choose a side at the end of the play, you might’ve been surprised by your answer.

Review: The Last Wife came at the right time

The gist of Kate Hennig’s play isn’t soft to focus. It’s sharp and it’s heavy. I’ve been baring the weight of Hennig’s play, The Last Wife, since I saw it at Soulpepper with a (very good) cup of coffee. As we enter the marriage of England’s King Henry VIII and Katherine Parr, we are repeatedly forced to swallow the big pill: that “patriarchy is a natural, organizational principle”, as Henry (Joseph Ziegler) spit at one point in the play. This construct seems to be binding, but the play illuminates the glory of Kate’s lady powers that allow her to evade the 16th century’s prevailing misogyny. Katherine (Maev Beaty), or “Kate”, is called on to marry Henry like she’s made of pretty porcelain that he’s picked off of the shelf. He commands her hand in marriage, but she does not marry for love, as she already has a sweetheart: the endearing Thom (Gareth Potter). She entertains the idea of being Queen because of the power that comes with the title. Apprehensively, she enters the agreement. Through her lens, we experience the final months of Henry’s rule in a not-so-historical manner. Having previously disowned his daughters Mary (Sara Farb) and Bess (Bahia Watson), Kate’s mandatory compensation for the marriage is that Henry allows her to get the girls back in line of succession. Kate pulls them away from their needlepoint and into philosophy lessons, along with Henry’s son Eddie (Joan Q. Gribble). She continues to do this when Henry goes away to war in France and she adopts the role of regent, all the while instilling feminist wisdom into the brains of her stepchildren. Kate controls the hard-to-cross boundaries of her sexual relationship with her husband throughout the play, but when Henry returns from war, their long-time longing leads to them sharing their first on-stage moments of honest romance. From shaping Eddie further into King-material, to strategizing the arrival of appropriate arms into France, allowing Henry to drag himself home, she had proved her worth. From Kate’s perspective, since she held down the fort so tightly, she had become his equal. But when she expects Henry to grant her more rights, his ego is bruised. Fuelled by fear of Henry giving her head the chop she plays a silent and compliant queen until his reign comes to a close. Luckily, I brought a friend with me to the play that has extensive knowledge in Elizabethan history. Since I didn’t have the most solid understanding of Henry and his 500 wives (okay, six), it was difficult to tell exactly how contemporary they made the storyline. Although the play isn’t meant to be an advanced history lesson, I’d say that the storyline is most gripping if you have some knowledge of 16th century history. Hennig’s script is bursting with golden sub-text that begs to be heard, in modern-day language, might I add. Perhaps the reason why the play had such an effect on me was because of the remarkable timing. I was feeling helpless that day because of the current inconceivable fragility of women’s rights in our neighbouring country, and Kate demonstrated a hero that I want to channel in the impending months of rallying and protest for the rights of American women. Though Maev Beaty embodied this ruthless character excellently, the stop-and-start motion of the play left me feeling disconnected from her character’s heart. I had an easier time connecting with the emotional depths of the other characters, even Joseph Ziegler’s. He’s witty in an offensively outspoken kind of way, leaving absolutely nothing open to interpretation. That’s not to say I didn’t grasp Kate’s message. I did, and it was moving. With minute costume changes, quick set changes, and a very small chain of characters, the play was rooted deeply in communicating a stripped down, big-picture message. The impact still resonates within me sincerely, and sadly the issue presented isn’t one that we can take as just a piece of history. This is happening now. Patriarchy is sturdily in place, and we need to work hard, like Kate did. The Last Wife runs until Feb. 11 at Soul Pepper Theatre.

The sexualization of the latinx woman provoked my unhealthy body image

By: Daniela Sosa-Roque I have never been a thin girl and it’s fair to say that I’ve always been a couple of pounds overweight. I think it was around fifth grade when I really became aware of my body. I was born in Cuba and I consider my latinx identity to be major part of who I am. In Latin-American cultures the word fat is casually thrown around and it’s not uncommon to refer to people as fat or skinny. Growing up I was used to being called fat. As a little girl I remember how much being called gordita (chubby or fat) triggered me, because I knew what being fat implied. To me, being fat meant I was unattractive. The characterization of the latinx also had a strong influence in determining how I looked at my body. The latinx is perfectly constructed for the male gaze, she is the epitome of sexy. She has a voluptuous “hourglass” figure that short skin-tight dresses cling to. She has a small waist and wide hips, curves in all the right places. She has big boobs and long sculpted legs. Her hair isn’t an unruly mane of curls: it’s wavy and silky. Her skin is the colour of café con leche, she’s not light or dark but right in between. The other half of the stereotype is the idea that latinxs are hypersexual, promiscuous and have fiery, passionate personalities. While there’s nothing wrong with a woman owning her sexuality, this stereotype often suggests that a latinx’s agency and value only stems from her sex appeal. This inaccurate portrait is a harmful myth perpetuated by pop culture. It was also highly problematic for me as a latinx that didn’t quite fit this mold. What about the latinxs whose shoulders are broader than their hips? What about the latinxs with pelo malo (bad hair), whose tight curls and kinks can’t be tamed with combs? What about the ones that don’t have small waists and don’t exude sex and confidence? Growing up I felt like there was a particular set of expectations I had to meet because I was latinx. However, trying to conform to this ideal was like attempting to squeeze into a dress that I didn’t fit into, yet desperately wanted to. Obtaining the “latinx figure” and meeting those standards - fitting into the dress - meant I could be beautiful. Sometimes I felt like I even took up too much space. I wanted to be smaller, thinner and more petite. I began consciously and instinctively monitoring my posture. I would sit up straight and rigid, so my stomach wouldn’t fold. Despite only being a few pounds overweight, I often found myself feeling disgusted when I looked at my body. I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror without picking out every flaw. I would pinch my belly or thigh and think, “If you just lost this and this and this…you would be perfect.” The little voice that reminded me I’m not supposed to have that extra bit of fat on my tummy and thighs was impossible to block out. I wanted to reclaim and love my body, but how was I supposed to do that when it seemed that everywhere I looked, there were thousands of reasons to hate it? Being a latinx trying to find peace and acceptance in my appearance also made me question if fat and sexy could coexist, even if sexy excludes everything that fat implies. Sexy can’t be cellulite, stretch marks, tummy rolls and love handles...right? The idea that sexy has to tick off all these boxes leaves out a whole range of women. In particular, women that think that they can’t be sexy because their tummies aren’t flat or their bodies have cellulite. All women come in a diverse range of shapes and sizes and insisting that a group of women should look a certain way neglects different body types. The solution to the misrepresentation of latinxs is to challenge it with more diverse representations in the media. The voices that demand we change to fit these unrealistic standards are loud, but the voices that ask us to accept ourselves regardless of our body shapes and sizes must be louder. The voices of self-love and acceptance need to begin within us first. It’s a long process, but loving your body and being happy in your own skin requires allowing yourself time to heal. It’s not easy and it’s still uncomfortable for me at times, but recovery from suffering with an unhealthy body image shouldn’t be easy and it definitely shouldn’t be comfortable. I am a latinx and I happily reject the unrealistic and oppressive beauty standards that have made me feel like I’m not enough.

Artists at Work at the Feminist Art Conference

By: Karen Sandoval-Santana Artists, academics and activists were invited to attend the Feminist Art Conference to examine feminist issues through art. The theme this year was Embodied Resistance. This comes from the notion that the human body can be treated as a site of resistance to the power structures of patriarchy, says Ilene Sova, the organizer of the FAC. McClung’s caught up with some of the artists. Shirley Siegal and Hadieh Afshani: [caption id="attachment_5010" align="alignnone" width="1616"] Shirley Siegal and Hadieh Afshani[/caption] Hadieh Afshani and Shirley Siegal met as competitors at an art competition in New York last year. They were both finalists and became friends after their works were displayed beside each other. Afshani is an Iranian born fine artist and Siegal is an Israeli artist, archaeologist and lecturer. Both women believe that feminism is missing in the Middle East. Their piece: [gallery ids="5008,5009" type="rectangular"] Their installation, The First Supper, features two pieces of tablecloth created in different countries. Afshani and Siegal had the unique challenge of not being able to collaborate face-to-face. They would Skype to see each other’s progress. Inspiration came from the hope for a more peaceful future for those living in Middle Eastern countries. Siegal made her piece in Israel, Afshani made hers in America. They stitched their parts together when they met. Afshani and Siegal also believe in the power of women in politics. The plates on the dining table have portraits of influential and inspiring women from the Middle East and elsewhere painted on them. “The dining table has always been the territory of women, to bring family and friends together,” says Afshani. “It doesn’t matter how much they disagree with each other: this is the peace zone.” Carol Mark: Carol Mark’s upbringing taught her a lot about women’s rights. She was taught that baby girls weren’t worth as much as boys and growing up she knew she wanted to make a change. Mark sat on a committee regarding the status of women 20 years ago that discussed how police should deal with rape cases in the future. Mark says she was shocked when the Ghomeshi case ended and he was found not guilty on all charges. This inspired her to do some digging into OCAD’s own sexual assault policy. She found out at the time OCAD didn’t have a policy for dealing with sexual assault. Mark says that schools should be aware that this is a procedure they have to implement. She says that victims don’t always get justice but stresses that victims should bravely speak up because somewhere there will be support. “We need to come together,” she says. “We need to form unity and that’s what feminism means to me.” Her piece: [caption id="attachment_5005" align="alignnone" width="1563"] Carol Mark's art piece for the Feminist Art Conference.[/caption] “Corsets haven’t been used in years. They deform your body but they are used as sexual instruments,” says Mark. On one hand they’re enticing but corsets also represent the breaking of women. Wendy Pope and Sussan Thompson: [caption id="attachment_5007" align="alignnone" width="1599"] Wendy Pope stands in front of her installation.[/caption] Wendy Pope has been studying the Kabbalah for over 15 years. The Kabbalah is an ancient framework that studies how to receive lifelong fulfillment. Herself and partner Sussan Thompson wanted their piece in the FAC to enhance the work that they’re doing with their meditation. Their piece: [caption id="attachment_5006" align="alignnone" width="1445"] The Tree of Life[/caption] Pope and Thompson wanted to undertake a spiritual journey through art. Their installation is a mixed media representation of the Tree of Life. All that exists can find its place in the tree, all ideas and beliefs. Through her art Pope wants to embrace diversity and ditch competition. She says culture has flexibility and the patriarchal system does not. “If you can work with others; everything expands, the basket just gets bigger,” she says. “There’s more room in it and we don’t have to compete for space.”

postcardsfromjulia

So incredible to be part of this historical moment. @womensmarch

womensmarch

Women’s March

Many of these will be repeats from my on the ground postings in Washington but I wanted to put together a formal edit of my favorite shots from a day that will live as one of the most powerful days of protest in US history.

thebrazenqueens

freshmoviequotes

Love Is My Profession (1958)

offbeatmel

self-portrait

february, 2015.

hennkim

| Be Bold or Italic, Never Regular | by Henn Kim

Go Get Art Print

McClung's at the Women's March on Washington in Toronto

We sent a live blogger and a photographer to the Women's March in Toronto this past Saturday afternoon. Here's what they saw: [gallery ids="4956,4952,4957,4958,4955,4954,4953,4951" columns="2" size="large"] Credit: Karen Sandoval-Santana

Hey guys, Mira here. I'll be live-tweeting from the Women's March in TO shortly! @MiraMiller1 #McClungsatWMOW