Diversity Rules Magazine

John Jarboe (she/her) is a director, singer, writer, producer and host serving you revo- lu on, herstory, queer community mak- ing, and a whole lot of gli er. She is the founding ar s c director of The Bearded Ladies Cabaret, a Philadelphia-based company, now eleven years old. She has directed and wri en original work performed at La Mama ETC, Joe's Pub, and for Opera Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Wilma Theater, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, and Lincoln Cen- ter's American Songbook Series. As a writer and performer Jarboe has toured to Paris, Poland, New Zealand. As a director Jarboe has directed and helped create shows for Cookie Diorio, legendary Mezzo Stephanie Blythe, and for Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo. Rose: You Are Who You Eat is a true story set to music. Ar st John Jarboe writes: In 2018 my aunt revealed I had a twin in the womb. She said, "You know you had a twin in the womb?" I didn't know. She said, "You ate her. That's why you are the way you are." This was a lot to swallow. My aunt's pronouncement that my gender stemmed from an act of fetal cannibalism is the seed for this piece: a celebra on and "diges on" of this new- found twin, who I later learned would have been named "Rose." A shrine of music, image, objects, and text, Rose brings together a team of queer ar sts, includ- ing composers and musicians Emily Bate, Daniel de Jesús, Pax Ressler, and Be Steadwell with direc- tor Mary Tuomanen, to tell the legend of John and Rose. Jarboe, known as the found- ing ar s c director of the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, explores this tale through musical styles ranging from art song to 1980s pop bal- lad, elaborate floral-inspired costumes made by Rebecca Kanach, in mate storytell- ing, and a feast of wordplay. This evening will feature a concert of original songs performed by a live band and set alongside a garden of images made with film- maker Christopher Ash. Af- ter this event, the project will con nue to evolve into films and an art installa on in which fellow genderqueers can nourish their own idiosyncra c iden es. Rose first came to life in Jarboe's Works & Pro- cess Ar sts (WPA) Virtual Commission, an ini a ve launched by Works & Process in the early days of the pandemic to provide ar sts with crea ve and financial support during a period of uncertainty. Working towards shaping a more inclusive, fair, and representa ve and colorful world, Works & Process commissioned the live performance of Rose and pro- vided the project with a bubble residency at Mount Tremper Arts in fall 2020. In spring 2021 the project also received a Works & Process bubble residency at Bethany Arts Community, made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Founda on and the Doris Duke Charitable Founda on, which culminated in an in- process performance at the Guggenheim rotunda in one of the first indoor performances permi ed by New York State during the pandemic. Following the Works & Process premiere on March 26, the concert experience of Rose can be seen at CulturalDC's Source Theatre on April 1-2. Over the next 18 months, CulturalDC will work with Jarboe to realize the evolu on of Rose into an immersive, mul disciplinary installa on. Conceptualized as an 4 | Diversity Rules Magazine | Mar 2022 Rose: You Are Who You Eat THIS LATEST PROJECT FROM THE FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE BEARDED LADIES CABARET, John Jarboe, EXPLORES A PERSONAL QUEER TALE THROUGH ORIGINAL SONGS, FILMS AND FLORAL COUTURE

• Cover