Feature: DramaDogs Presents: FROM EVE'S FAIR HAND at The Faulkner Gallery

Re-invention is a vital aspect of perpetuating an authentic creative identity. Especially in theatre, in which the driving force of any show is facing conflict, presenting the artist's most current viewpoint keeps the work from stagnating. Britney Spears did it; Madonna did it; even Eve, the first lady of the Judeo-Christian creation myth, did it. After plucking the apple drastically altered their worldview, Eve and her consort revamped their identities to best handle their new situation.

In that tradition, so too have DramaDogs, a theatre company known for their physically minded approach to performance, embarked on a creative journey toward broadening their presentation style. DramaDogs has adopted a format for short, dramatic presentations that inform and entertain, and encourage audience engagement. Their production of From Eve's Fair Hand, by local writers Jinny Webber and Terre Ouwehand, shares (through monologue) the voices of female writers who've left their mark on our cultural history. An appropriate celebration of Women's History Month, From Eve's Fair Hand introduces women like Amelia Bassano Lanier; Lady Mary Wroth; Aphra Behn; George Sands (nom-de-plume of Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin); Gertrude Stein; Virginia Woolf; and Vita Sackville-West; women who dared to write-while-female in eras when doing so was considered an act of non-conformity or rebellion.

These concentrated monologue collections are an excellent oeuvre for DramaDogs to create engaging message-oriented work. From Eve's Fair Hand featured performances from E. Bonnie Lewis, Leslie Gangl-Howe, and Ming Lauren Holden, narration by Ken Gilbert, and music by Josh Jenkins. DramaDogs invites audience involvement, and From Eve's Fair Hand offered plenty of opportunities for audiences to engage with the material. The post-show discussion turned into an interesting volley of ideas about the direction of feminism, the reclaiming and eschewing of feminine titles, and the subtle context of cultural micro aggressions.

There's opportunity in our 4th-wall-strong theatre community for DramaDogs to create a larger repertory of these topic-based presentations. Their minimalistic style makes them performable in a variety of alternate theatrical spaces for added accessibility, and DramaDogs is working to develop a circuit of venues for performing Eve's Fair Hand and future presentations. It's a storytelling style that brings new audiences into the theatre, and suits Dramadogs' mission to create performances about pertinent topics that encourage heightened presence from performers and audience members.

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