What do inflated balloon phalluses, pro-peace activism, and next Monday's lunchtime all have in common?
The Lysistrata Project: It's the largest theatre activism project for peace ever undertaken, and it's coming to campus.
On Monday, March 2, Barnard's McIntosh Hall will host two readings of Aristophanes' famed play as part of a world-wide campaign to raise consciousness through art. 782 readings have been scheduled in 43 countries, and new readings are being added every day. The Barnard readings are each one hour long and begin at noon and 1 p.m.
The project was the brainchild of New York actresses Kathryn Blume and Sharron Bower who were inspired by a group called Theatres Against War (THAW) to take positive action about their feelings against a pre-emptive strike in Iraq. Blume and Bower created a Website and reached out to their own personal networks and word spread.
It was this very type of informal networking that led Assistant Professor of Religion Elizabeth Castelli to bring the message to Barnard after hearing about the project from a colleague on the West Coast. Castelli believed that this global theatrical act involving thousands of people was something that Barnard should be involved with, having "a long tradition of things Greek and with performance."
The Lysistrata, written by Aristophanes in 411 B.C.E. during the Peloponnesian War embroiling Athens and Sparta, is the tale of women from both sides of the conflict, led by the title character Lysistrata, who refuse intimacy with their husbands until the men cease their battle. Because "the characters are all too vulnerable to sex," according to Classics Department Chair Professor Helen Foley, the ultimatum works, and the victory is sealed with peace--and a bit of love--prevailing.
As a classicist, Foley was "naturally excited that [activists] were using one of our texts" to speak out against war. Foley explained that during the Peloponnesian conflict there was a strong impulse to pursue peace. The situation was one from which the Athenians could not easily extract themselves. Aristophanes' creation, which was not his only peace-themed play, was a type of "fantasy wish fulfillment."
According to Castelli, the Lysistrata Project allows a different way for people to intervene in current affairs in a way that's "a bit less didactic than a speech or demonstration."
"[This] shared performance is actually an engaging, positive, joyous way [to bring people together] over a source of tension and be part of a purpose instead of [being] dour and angry," Foley said.
Although the official Lysistrata Project website mentions the crisis in Iraq, posters advertising the McIntosh readings do not specifically point to the situation. Castelli said that Iraq is not the only threat at the moment and as such the readings are "a more general comment on the militarization of the time and age."
"The play works because it's hilarious, dramatically effective, and very dirty," said Shawn Marie Garrett, assistant professor of theater at Barnard and director of the readings.
"The best part is seeing Professor Herbert Sloan of the history department play a buxom Boiotion woman," Garrett said.
Not having worked with the play before, Garrett relied on Foley, who is reading a portion of the role of Lysistrata during one of the performances, for insight into the references specific to 5th century B.C.E. Athens.
"I was not aware, for example, that there was a word in ancient Greek for a person who would go around knocking the phalli off statues," Garrett said.
Although there will be some movement, the performance will be more of a reading than a staging. All performers will be dressed in black and props will be minimal.
Jodi Eichler, a second-year religion doctoral student at GSAS, is excited that the project is a "cooperative venture" between faculty, undergraduates, graduate students, alumni, and staff. Roughly 65 people from all different departments and of varying levels of theatrical skill showed an initial interest in participating in some way and about 35 people have contributed their time thus far. Eichler is part of the team designing a banner that will serve as the set.
Jessica Alpert, BC '03, became involved with the project because "both students and professors joined together to make The Lysistrata Project a reality on campus; this is something that does not happen everyday." Alpert, who is part of the production's support staff, stressed that participating in the project has allowed people who often feel powerless in the current situation to become involved.
Garrett believes that The Lysistrata Project is just the tip of the activism iceberg for the artistic community. "American artists are beginning to wake up and 'act out' against recent curtailments of civil liberties and subversions of the democratic process in numbers that haven't been seen since the '60s," she said.
Despite its absurdity, Foley said, there is a serious dimension to the play. Although women had little political power within ancient Athenian society, they played an important role in religion. The priestess of Athena on the Acropolis was a woman named Lysismache. She lived during the period when the play was written and served in this esteemed role for roughly 50 years.
Lysismache, Foley notes, translates to "dissolver of battles," and it's no accident that the priestess' name is so similar to the protagonist's, which translates into "dissolver of armies."
Those who attend Monday's performance will receive a souvenir: pins of shiny silver duct tape cut into all types of female body shapes with "Lysistrata" in bold black marker running down their lengths. The idea, Castelli said, came out of a meeting on the heels of Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Tom Ridge's announcement to stock up on the ubiquitous adhesive.
The Lysistrata Project organizers are aiming to have shows run for 24 hours in New York City. Locations include the subway, Grand Central Station at rush hour, the Staten Island Ferry, and the steps of Federal Hall on Wall Street. Additional Morningside Heights locations include a performance at the Underground Lounge and a reading at Labyrinth Books, directed by Kristjian Thorgeirsson, a student at the School of the Arts. A benefit reading directed by Ellen McLaughlin and featuring Mercedes Ruehl in the role of Lysistrata will take place on Monday evening at 7 p.m. at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's (BAM) Harvey Theater.
Readings will take place at Barnard on Monday, March 3 at noon and 1 p.m. on the stage in Lower McIntosh Hall. Admission is free. The Benefit at Brooklyn Academy of Music's Harvey Theater, (718) 636-4100, will take place on Monday, March 3, 7 p.m. at 651 Fulton Street, Brooklyn. Labyrinth Books, 536 West 112th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, (212) 865-1588, will host a reading on Monday, March 3 at 7 p.m. Admission is free. An additional performance will be offered Sunday, March 2, at 8 p.m. by the Rubicon Theater Company at the Underground Lounge, 955 West End Avenue (at W. 107th Street), (212) 531-4759. Other readings will be conducted throughout New York City. Check www.lysistrataproject.com for the most updated information.
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