On Wed Dec 22, I’ll be unveiling the first few minutes of my upcoming one-woman, two-voice show about Helen Keller’s time on Vaudeville.
The night is actually a competition which is why I hope you will come and vote for me. I’m competing against some really wonderful performers, so YOU can’t lose!
We are competing for three coveted slots to put on a full-length show as a part of Horse Trade’s miniFRIDGE, which takes place in the summer.
The December Event:
Wed Dec 22, 7:30pm
@ The Kraine Theater, 85 East 4th Street, nyc
This event will sell out, so please purchase tickets in advance at SmartTix, either by following the link:
Or by calling:
212 868 4444
(Tickets are $15 which includes a free drink and a whole lotta show!)
Yours,
ml
The St*r of Happiness: Helen Keller on Vaudeville?!
“At first it seemed odd to find ourselves on the same bill with acrobats, monkeys, horses, dogs, and parrots; but our little act was dignified and people seemed to like it.” – Helen Keller from Midstream
Was it dignified or degrading to deaf/blind people everywhere?
Was she a holdover from the freak show or legitimate entertainment?
Was she being exploited or using the opportunity to express her pinko politics?
Was she selling out or merely trying to earn a living?
Dr. michelle-leona godin does not presume to answer these questions but rather, through a series of performative readings of disparate texts, makes bold suggestions that force us to confront our deeply held, if often unconscious, attitudes towards the disabled body.
I thought this was supposed to be funny!?
There will be jokes.
Oh thank goodness I was getting worried.
But, in laughing at these jokes, you will experience a kind of joyful shame that is not so different from that of the freak who, for financial as well as egotistical reasons, feels a kind of painful gratitude towards the gaze of the gawkers who, fancying themselves normal cannot fail to identi—
Do you want an audience?
Yes please!
Then shut up!
Ok, but let me just say…
Written and performed by michelle-leona godin, The Star of Happiness is a one-woman, two-voice show inspired by Helen Keller’s time on vaudeville.
Video projections by David Lowe
