The cast; photo discovered on Anthem Theatre Co’s Facebook page.
Devised and presented by Anthem Theatre Company
Conceived, written and directed by Bryn Boice
Feb. 10 – 11, 2017
BU Dance Theatre
915 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA
Anthem on Facebook
Review by Kitty Drexel
Trigger Warnings: Adult themes, gunshot sound effect, feminism
(Boston, MA) Bless you, Merriam-Webster. On January, 29, 2017 at 6:32PM, the hero in charge of the Dictionary’s Twitter account posted this lovely article on the slang origins of “snowflake.” The article’s existence implies that the social movement currently applying this term to liberals are doing so incorrectly. Similarly Anthem Theatre Company strikes back at detractors with a timely, necessary production of I, Snowflake: A Post-election Reaction.
From the article: “In Missouri in the early 1860s, a ‘snowflake’ was a person who was opposed to the abolition of slavery—the implication of the name being that such people valued white people over black people. This use seems not to have endured.”
I, Snowflake is a direct reaction to November’s election. Bryn Boice created a questionnaire that reached across the US into other territories asking the reader of their experiences. She drew on her experiences and asked others for theirs. The results are an amalgam of stories, media overwhelm, cats, song snippets, and fantasies that reflect the horrified experiences of we “snowflakes.” In 68 Vagina Monologues-esque minutes, we hyper-focus on what is wrong and what is right with American politics. We’re given hope that the tide will turn towards equality once again.
The ensemble work in this production is selfless, and gorgeous. The all-lady cast gives of themselves unconditionally. We receive a deeply personal and personalized performance from them. Boice’s staging is inventive and enables the ensembles character work to blossom.
Julee Antonellis delivers her mime work as Snowflake with excellent control. She’s the emotional barometer of the production and silently conveys the ups and down of the ensemble. Her Pierrot is no pining fool. She actively seeks to understand, and be understood. She represents everyone who feels voiceless.
For a show that was created, soup to nuts, in under 3 months I, SnowFlake is damned impressive on any scale. It pulls from a large community, and speaks to an even larger one. Which is why it should go on tour. Whether it’s a national rollicking tour of churches in the US, or a more localized effort a la The Theatre Offensive’s True Colors: Out Youth Theater it should, and deserves to be seen by as many people as possible in the next four years. Anthem Theatre Co could start at the high school level, and work outwards. Worse theatre has been taken across the globe for less.
To say that progressive, liberal, empathetic individuals with even a shred of compassion for those different from themselves haven’t taken well to the walking Orangina commercial in the White House is a massive understatement. The roid raging Oompa Loompa in charge is bastardizing the Constitution harder than any of his predecessors. #45 is pissing off free-thinkers, and the righteous Right is eating it up like chicken gravy at a Ponderosa Steakhouse the day after Thanksgiving. Those opposed to our protests are using this moniker to invalidate our activism. Name calling is not enough to stop us. I, Snowflake dares us to reclaim this slang: we are snowflakes; we are legion.
Queen’s Note:
We elected a thin skinned bigot to the office of the President dead set on turning our “democracy” into a fascist, totalitarian oligarchy dominated by the 1%. His plan to slash the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for Humanities is HERE. Trump is a monster. His policies, when he names them, are destructive. His narcissistic behavior is more so. Fight him. And, for the love of all that’s sacred, keep creating. If you need help, ask for it. Our existence is our resistance. May the force be with you. – KD
Sign the petition to protect the National Endowment HERE.
The Republicans are trying to defund National Public Radio.
#blacklivesmatter #translivesmatter #brownlivesmatter #yellowlivesmatter #lgbtqialivesmatter #immigrantlivesmatter #muslimlivesmatter #disabledlivesmatter #theatreartsmatter #NODAPL
