Join Kimberly Dark for four performances of Dykeotomy, a new solo performance for everyone who has gender â?? examined or not. In Dykeotomy, Dark narrates a tale of modern gender confusion â?? this time from the perspective of the gender-normative female lover! What does sexual orientation mean when gender shifts? What did it ever mean in the context of masculine lives in female-sexed bodies? Darkâ??s hilarious interactions with the audience regarding her confusion with dating are interspersed with her signature poetic stories — tightly crafted, highly moving social snapshots.
In one story, Dark relays the tale of two friends having two hysterectomies â?? one by choice, one from illness. Dark leads the audience to question the role of biology in creating happiness â?? both in theory and in practice. Other stories explore performative gender foibles of strap-on sex, topping and bottoming and how sex and theory are not always discussed in different venues.
A practicing sociologist at Cal State San Marcos, Kimberly Dark transforms her controversial views on gender and female sexuality into a program of intimate, fluid exchange of ideas and personal adventures. She is an extraordinary performance artist whose unique blend of poetry and â??stand-up story tellingâ? has impressed audiences around the world. The Evening Echo of Cork Ireland calls her â??a force to be reckoned with on every level.â?Â
Audience responses from workshop performances of Dykeotomy lauded the balance and juxtaposition of sex and message. â??The way Kimberly spoke on erotic content was beautifully poetic. To speak with such depth and eloquence on topics considered taboo was refreshing and uplifting.â? Another audience member said â??[Dykeotomy] helped me feel more intensely about my own relationship with ambiguity and challenges with the either/or of current gender identity. It made me think about gender over cultural time and sexuality through different feminisms.â? Another quoted â??I really enjoyed you speaking the unspoken â?? gender, love, acceptance. Dyke feminist sexuality.â?Â
“We’re very excited to welcome Kimberly Dark to the Center for Sex & Culture,” says founding director Carol Queen, PhD. “Her work is a fabulous blend of the sexy, the academic, and the cultural — and people so often learn more from seeing live theatre than from any other way of getting ideas across.”
Photos of Kimberly Dark and/or images of her PR cards (featuring clever, sexy, ironic, repurposed pulp novel covers) available from Dark’s website, above, or from carol@sexandculture.org.
Showtimes: November 5 @ 7 p.m., November 6 & 7 @ 8 p.m., November 8 @ 2 p.m. Tickets available at the door, or in advance by phone (415-255-1155), or (recommended â?? the theatre seats only 40) at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/producerevent/86852?prod_id=10990 $12-$20 sliding scale.
The Center for Sex & Culture (CSC) received its nonprofit status in late 2002 and was declared “Best Emerging Sex Nonprofit” in the San Francisco Bay Guardian’s Best of the Bay issue in June 2004. It is open by appointment and for events. The Center for Sex & Culture is a volunteer organization that subsists on support and donations from the public, including donations of books, art, videos, archival materials, etc. CSC’s mailing address (where donations can be sent) is 2215-R Market Street, #455, San Francisco, CA 94114. Website donations can be made at www.sexandculture.org. Telephone: (415) 255-1155.
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By Carol Queen
