CMU School of Drama


Saturday, November 01, 2008

We camp out with Chicks With Dicks: Bad Girls on Bikes Doing Bad Things.

Pittsburgh City Paper - Pittsburgh: "Most people regard such Russ Meyer cult classics as 1965's Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! as mere exploitation flicks. But playwright Trista Baldwin's Meyer-inspired Chicks With Dicks: Bad Girls on Bikes Doing Bad Things is a campy homage to tough-ass motorcycle mamas as symbols of female empowerment."

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's like rocky horror meets the feminist hell's angels. Actually sounds fairly entertaining. I would see this before "Toxic Avenger: The Musical". I'm curious if there's motorcycles zooming on and off the stage for this.

Aaron S said...

Well if definitely sounds interesting, and no one can argue that. But I have to ask the question we are always asked by professors, why this play? and why now? Is this a feminist play, not in the traditional meaning? Does it address current political issues? I don't see this as taking a stab at Palin. Is the purpose really just to let actresses do real stage combat? I doubt it. It still should be interesting though.

Laura Oliver said...

I don't appreciate the polarization of female roles in society. I want to see more female roles on stage that feature strong women who aren't some kind of biker hardass stereotype. I think it is very rare to see portrayals in media that bridge the gap.

Megan Spatz said...

I agree with Laura, even though I am happy to see more powerful females in the theatre, the portrayal often is very exaggerated. I would be happy to see a happy medium between the delicate flower and the butch motorcyclist. A portrayal that stresses the importance of power and confidence without negating the femininity.

Anonymous said...

This sounds fantastic --- groundbreaking and SO entertaining. I think any commentary about modern women hs value too, as we approach this election, view women in theatre and the workplace and indeed, as a new generation of women enter the workforce.

Anonymous said...

This sounds like a lot of fun--you don't see that many performances with such a high number of such extreme bad-ass women. The style of performance is intriguing, too; I'd like to see the show to see how that works out.

JIsrael said...

I would agree that for me, this does not speak any good about the female roles on stage. This is an extremely stereotypical role, and only caters to a small portion of society. The title of the show doesn't help either. By choosing a humorous title, it makes the play appear to be a satire. I certainly may be judging the play here before seeing it, but everyone does this before actually paying for a show when it has such a strong title. This one makes the show seem completely ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

This just seems like a weird play. Rocky Horror Show weird. I like Rocky Horror Show, sorta. It's always walked that fine line between female exploitation, and just so bad it's good. The idea is a fun idea, after all, how many straight guys don't want to see an almost all female cast in a play that seems to be almost all about putting on a show. It was covered in foundations that sexuality can be theatrical, but I fear that a play based around that will just come off as raunchy.

Unknown said...

This seems like a play with some good design opportunities. However, I really don't think that this appeals to as broad an audience as some other shows; especially with all of the shows closing recently, we will have to see how this does. Two females undergoing stage combat seems like something that might attract more folk seeing as to how it is usually two guys doing it...