Regarding the title, Of Fiercer Origins, some folks have asked, "how did you come up with the title for your show?"
I am so glad they did! Our namesake is a direct reference to one of Adrienne Rich's poems set to music by Tori Lavan, called HEROINES.
In Heroines, Adrienne Rich speaks of our ancestral mothers and grandmothers, who were Heroines, drawing their long skirts across the women's suffrage movement, fighting for equal pay and the right to work outside the home, and everything that they've done and felt has led us, their kin, to these moments and perspectives in our lives -- their battles coded in our (not just women and girls, but all people) DNA.
This portion of the poem reads:
"...you are exceptional
in personal circumstance
in indignation
you give up believing
in protection
in Scripture
in man-made laws
respectable as you look
you are an outlaw
Your mind burns
not like the harbor beacon
but like a fire
of fiercer origin
you begin speaking out
and a great gust of freedom
rushes in with your words
yet still you speak..."
--Adrienne Rich, Heroines
Alize chose this poem, along with "What is Possible" to provide context and depth surrounding the subject matter for the opera A Pregnant Pause, and found a book of Rich's poetry in a small book store called Square books while visiting family in Oxford, MS. Immediately struck by Rich's writing, she purchased the book
"The Dream of a Common Language" and thought of Rich immediately for this project, discovering Rich's "A wild patience has taken me this Far."
We are so thrilled to bring you this evening which is poignant and close to our hearts. Join us on September 27th (8pm), Sept 28th (3 pm & 8 pm), and 29th (3 pm) at the SideQuest Theatre on 2030 Sansom, as part of Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Tickets at PhillyFringe.org and search "of fiercer origins".
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