Karen with a ''K''

Saturday, April 22, 2023, 2:00 pm until 3:00 pm
A Dance Play created and presented by Cat Wagner and Kelly Silliman. Tickets are sliding scale $15.00-$25.00

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In Karen With a “K,” longtime collaborators Kelly Silliman and Cat Wagner take on the mythology of the “Karen” persona and its increasingly ubiquitous use as a social meme. “Karen” has become a commonplace, pejorative term for white women who seem entitled beyond reason and who may also weaponize their privilege within certain contexts. In this dance play, Silliman and Wagner utilize “iconic” Karen moments from the past few years as a way to examine how racism and misogyny intersect in contemporary culture. They believe humor can offer opportunities to build tolerance for the messiness and discomfort inherent in personal growth, and also that self-reflection must be matched by thoughtful action.

Content Advisory: This piece contains audio from several viral videos of “Karens” which portray high emotions and include occasional profanity.

Cat Wagner and Kelly Silliman have been collaborating since 2013, shortly after they both graduated from the Smith College MFA program in Choreography and Performance. They create dance plays to explore contemporary feminism, intersectional identities, and American pop culture in playful, absurdist ways. Cat Wagner is the dance instructor at Stoneleigh-Burnham School in Greenfield, MA. Kelly Silliman is the Program Director at the Northampton Center for the Arts, and a core collaborator with Deborah Goffe/Scapegoat Garden. Kelly was also the founder/director of the tinydance project from 2012-2022.

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors and Underwriters

Australis Aquaculture • Artisan Beverage Cooperative • Benjamin Company • Berkshire Brewing Company • Cohn and Company Real Estate Agency • Community Credit • Common Capital • Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts • Connecticut River Internists • Dean's Beans • Easthampton Savings Bank • FirstLight GDF Suezna • Gill Tavern • Goff Media • Great Falls Harvest • Green River Festival • Greenfield Community College • Greenfield Cooperative Bank • Greenfield Savings Bank • Loot • Massachusetts Cultural Council • Montague Bookmill Montague WebWorks • Northeast Solar • People's Pint • Rainmaker Consulting • The Rendezvous • Solar Store of Greenfield • Stobierski and Connor • Told Video • True North Transit • Turn It Up

Exciting News for A Happening IV: Leviathan

Cloudgaze and Eggtooth Productions are thrilled to announce that we have received a generous grant from the Markham-Nathan Fund for Social Justice to support our 2024 Immersive Arts Festival, “A Happening IV: Leviathan.”

This festival will transform the Shea Theater into an exploration of theme, hosting installations, music, theatrical performances, and movement pieces, featuring the collective contributions of over 30 local artists. Audiences will experience otherworldly environments and narratives inspired by folklore, fairy tales, horror motifs, American literature, and the mythos of the Old Testament, all of which delve into the central question guiding the festival: "What does it mean to encounter something greater than yourself and to be consumed by it?" Through this theme, we explore how a community reemerges and imagines itself after destruction and transformation.

With the support of the Markham-Nathan Fund, we are excited to create an event that complicates perspectives and fosters meaningful dialogue. We are grateful for this partnership and for the work of the Markham-Nathan Fund for Social Justice.

Thanks to the Mass Cultural Council for their vital support this year.We'd also like to thank the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts for their support in the form of a Flexible Funding grant. We couldn't do this work without you!