Carolyn Gage in her play, "The Parmachene Belle" (Photo by Heather Alexander)
Carolyn Gage is an award-winning lesbian-feminist playwright and touring performer, a woman who has a passion to tell the truth about the lesbian experience.
She has written extensively about the lives of female historical figures in her work, including more than 40 plays, musicals and one-woman shows. Gage has written about and performed as Joan of Arc, Calamity Jane and Louisa May Alcott, among other historical women.
I had the pleasure of speaking with the distinguished playwright recently.
Tell me about yourself:
I live in Portland, Maine, and I'm 57, and I came of age in the 1960's in Richmond, Virginia... very much affected by the Black Freedom Movement and then the Anti-War Movement, with Vietnam. In my 30's I was very influenced by the writers from the Second Wave of the Women's Liberation movement.
I think that one's philosophy is greatly influenced by the things that held meaning early in life. For me, the essence of that was truth. It was absent in my childhood, and my own experiences, as a victim of child sexual abuse, were taboo. Much of my theatre is to give voice to those who have not traditionally had a voice.
Describe your work. How and when did you first know you wanted to be a playwright, actor and director?
My work is by, for, about, and (I hope) serving the interests of women... which is not to say that women are a homogenous group or a monolith, but I am interested in shared experiences and especially shared experiences of oppression, and how these are shaped by class, race, ethnicity, age, and so on. I was always attracted to theatre, but I did not see how it could be meaningful during the era of social upheaval, and I stepped away from it for a decade. When I found my voice as a lesbian-feminist and as a survivor, I had a strong vision of what kind of theatre I wanted to make, and it was clear to me, and has become clearer and clearer that this is a very powerful medium for social change.
How has being gay impacted your art?
First, I never use the word "gay" to describe myself. My generation fought very hard to get folks to stop using "men" or "mankind" to refer to women, and suddenly, here's another gendered term being used as a false inclusive! And my work is lesbian. It's about cultures of women who are having primary intimacy with women. Because of this, it has been heavily censored. That censorship has affected all aspects of my life.
What inspires you?
The lives of other women inspire me. I read a great deal of biography. I am fascinated by the strategies of women... what worked, what didn't.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 20?
I used to have a five-year and a ten-year plan. But today, more than twenty years after I began my career, there are fewer lesbian theatres than there were in the 1970's. In fact, I can only name one lesbian theatre. So, when I look at my plans now, I just plan to continue to work. I am in the process of putting all of my work into print, and I am hopeful by this time next year to have done that. I have three more books to publish. And I have several plays I'm working on. I have a blockbuster musical about Babe Didrikson, and I would like to have a production of that in the next two years.
What do you want others to know about you and your work?
I really just want a fair hearing. For two decades I was unable to get my work published, and of course, that seriously hampered my ability to gain productions. In the world of theatre, the gates are guarded by a very few agents and publishers...and lesbian theatre was not welcome.
For more info: Carolyn Gage
(Copyright © 2009 N. E. Francis. All Rights Reserved.)
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