One sure-fire way to get men to lay down their arms is for all the women to keep their legs crossed. That’s the premise of the play Lysistrata, a bawdy anti-war comedy first performed in 411 BC and the subject of performances worldwide on Monday. Written by the Greek satirist Aristophanes, the play tells how women from opposite sides of the Peloponnesian War plotted to end the violence by depriving their mates of sexual satisfaction.
Don’t let the play’s age or subject matter fool you: Lysistrata is about as much fun as war protesting can get. The dialogue is witty, there are sight gags aplenty (“What are you–a man or a standard-bearer?”), and the women suffer just as surely as the men. Says one female Spartan (in a translation by George Brosi), “‘Tis a hard thing for a woman to sleep alone without any nookie. But peace must come first.”
The Lysistrata Project was conceived by a pair of New York actors who wanted to find some way to speak out against the planned war against Iraq. In a matter of about six weeks, the notion of presenting this play worldwide caught on across the globe. At press time, almost 800 performances were scheduled for this Monday in 46 countries and in every state in the U.S., including at least four productions in Washington, D.C. (no word on whether Laura Bush plans to attend).
Locally, Dennis Rendleman and Diane Lopez Hughes formed Springfield Theatre of Peace (S.T.O.P.) to present this play. The version they have chosen is a new colloquial rhyming translation by New York playwright Drue Robinson Hagan. Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson, who teaches theater at Lincoln Land Community College, will read the title role. Becky Otwell and Ann Collins will play leaders of the sex strike. The audience will be called upon to perform the role of the traditional Greek chorus.
Another movement calling upon women worldwide to unite “with the goal of creating positive change through collaborative action” is Gather the Women (www.gatherthewomen.org), a global effort to “support and connect women worldwide.” Local Gather the Women events–which include a meditation session, a labyrinth walk, a burning bowl ritual, a talking stick ceremony, and a drumming circle–are scheduled for every weekday evening beginning March 3 and culminating with a celebration next Saturday and Sunday, March 8 and 9.
Lysistrata will be performed Monday at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Howlett Building (formerly the Centennial Building), Second at Edwards. Admission is free, but a photo ID is required to enter this secure government building. Enter at the northwest entrance.
Gather the Women events take place 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and at 2 p.m. the following Saturday and Sunday (March 8 and 9) at Unity Church, Fourth and Cordelia. Call 415-8655 for more information.
This article appears in May 8-14, 2003.
