The Feast of Love

Harvest Man Jason - all photos by Gregory Frye

Nov 8 & 9 brought a bounty of the freshest, hottest underground gay performance art that Los Angeles has to offer in the show HOMO-HARVEST: a mix of music, spoken word, video art, and fabulously interactive tasting ceremonies - all centered around themes of food, nature, and the rituals of autumn. I co-produced and curated the event alongside the amazing Ian MacKinnon and featuring over 20 different performers. 

I started off the evening on stilts as Harvest Man, an 8’ tall "Green Man"-like figure. I re-purposed one of my original costumes (The Tree Spirit, from a performance piece called "Ash: Axis Mundi World Tree" - I'm glad I keep my costumes organized) with a few autumnal leaf flourishes and a staff of fall flowers.  As audience arrived to the venue through the parking lot, they were greeted with a fire pit and my larger than life presence. Once inside, they were treated to a warm atmosphere complete with our sacred Cornicopia altar, a Tarot card reader, and Glitter Manicure station.

 

click on photos to enlarge

After a pre-show band warmed up the audience, Ian hosted the evening and summoned me into the theatre to propel the audience into our sexy & sacred evening with a performance ritual that cleansed the space and introduced the concept of our interactive tasting rituals - which started with our sexy Harvest Tribe feeding grapes to the audience after I told the myth of the difference between heaven and hell.  I then finished the piece with an original song I wrote called “Feast of Love.”

The performance helped set tone for our evening of autumnal festivities.

The script and lyrics are below.
All photos by Gregory Frye (www.gregoryfrye.com)
Enjoy!
 
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IAN summons Jason as Harvest Man to invoke some ritual. Jason on stilts enters at side door near stage – stands there to perform:

CLEANSING RITUAL

HARVEST MAN JASON: Happy HOMO-HARVEST everyone! It is Harvest time, the season of the year where the bounty of our labors has been gathered and it is time to share with each other and celebrate.  It is the time of year where our hands have worked hard to gather up the goods, the harvest grains, vegetables, and food we need to sustain ourselves. Our hands have toiled. They have touched the sacred energy and grace of the Earth. They have reached into the fertile soils, both physically and spiritually. They have gotten dirty in that process and there’s nothing wrong with being a little dirty. I imagine tonight you're in the mood for some good clean AND dirty fun! Am I right? It's ok to have a dirty mind, but let's maintain some good hygiene. So let us welcome to the stage our sexy Harvest Tribe to help invoke a bit of ritual magic for us to cleanse our spirits so we can enjoy our rich feast.

As he speaks the Harvest Tribe enters in reverent procession to the stage down the center aisle, lead by two performers with a bowl of soapy water and a bowl of pure water. They step onto the stage and face out to the audience in the center, about a foot apart from each other, soapy water stage left, pure water stage right. They have enough space in front of them for other Tribe members to walk in front of them and still remain on the stage. All Tribe members have a wash cloth over one shoulder.

4 Sexy Harvest Tribe members line up behind Doug & Jeff on the stage in a semi-circle. They pause. 

THE BLESSING

HARVEST MAN JASON: Ah yes, we must maintain a proper balance between what we deem as clean and dirty. Both are essential parts of life, and we shouldn’t be scared getting a little dirty in order to gather up the goods. But we are here to feast on those goods. And so we must cleanse our hands.

The tribe member stage left moves to side with the soapy bowl. He dips his hands inside, sloshes around sexily, and holds up the soapy water and lets it pour out of his hands slolwy, rubbing the soap around - sensuous. He moves across in front to the other side and rinses his hands in a similar manner. The next tribe member dips into the soapy. And this cycle continues. When all are done rinsing, they take the towel on their shoulder and dry their hands. All 6 tribe members fulfill this task.

HARVEST MAN JASON: Our hands are the greatest tools for our labors and we must cherish and respect how they serve us.  There is a time and a place for each. But out of respect for each other tonight and to better serve everyone, our Harvest Tribe cleanses themselves. And as they perform their ritual act, they cleanse for all of us. We create a sacred space here at Spirit Studio where all of us can cleanse ourselves from the outside world - enabling us to be fully present to receive the presents of HOMO-HARVEST. Breathe in and breathe out – feeling clean and refreshed. Our Homo-Harvest tribe has performed their ritual washing the hands - stick around you never know, you may get to see them cleaning up some other body parts too. Now, just to be certain we're germ-free, we’ll give ‘em a quick antibacterial squirt... as required by the various health codes and regulations of state and federal government Food and Drug Administrations! Ah. Ok.  Good.

Ian squirts everyone with anti-bac lotion as a final little funny moment. Ian rings the chimes again. The Harvest Tribe raises their hands into the air, palms to the audience to show they are all clean. They then walk over to the Cornicopia Altar, and lower their arms to grab a bunch of grapes in their hands - keeping their elbows locked. They then mingle upon the stage. 

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL

HARVEST MAN JASON: And now, for a story. A parable for each and every one us to ponder. The Difference Between Heaven and Hell. There is actually very little difference. And it is all make-believe anyway - we pagans know better. But if you were to ever visit hell, you would find a large and ornate banquet table. A sacred altar, which we all gather around for sustenance. And tonight this stage, and this entire theatre space is our sacred offering table altar. And piled upon that table is a feast of the most delicious foods you can imagine - the smells are incredible - the visuals a delight. And surrounding the table the denizens of hell are gathered, and they grab the food and look forward to eating it…however, they have no elbows!

HARVEST TRIBE struggles…trying to get food into their mouths, but with elbows locked can’t do it. They moan, groan, growl, salivate, frustration!!!

HARVEST MAN JASON: Oh! How terrible. To have everything you could ever desire to eat in your grasp, and yet be unable to taste it, unable to enjoy it! And so they struggle and are utterly tormented by the fact they can not eat the glorious feast! That is hell!!! Now, if you were to go up to heaven, you would actually see a very similar situation. For once again, there is a beautiful banquet table laid out - exactly like in hell. Everything that you could want to eat is there to tempt you. And just as in hell, those gathered around the table in heaven, have no elbows. However, they are happy. They are joyous. Why? Because while they have no elbows and cannot feed themselves, they have figured out, that they may feed each other. AHHHHH!!!!

HARVEST TRIBE becomes happy and blissful, holding the grapes up to each other to bite and nibble upon. Frisky! Fun!

HARVEST MAN JASON: And that simple act, makes all the difference between Heaven and Hell. And oh, how fortunate we are, that we are here on Earth. The space in between those worlds. And that we have elbows. So we are at choice. We can feed ourselves, or choose to feed each other. But tonight, if you are willing to play the game with us…our sexy Harvest Tribe, would like to treat you with a taste of heaven…so if you would like, let our clean-handed helpers feed you.

HARVEST TRIBE steps down from the stage and makes their way out to the audience, feeding various audience members the grapes, spreading out and taking their time to connect with the audience. Audience may enjoy more than one grape from different tribe members. They may opt out of receiving one. All is welcome.

 FEAST OF LOVE

So we’ve invited you here to dine at our table
And we wish to perform for you, if we are able
In exchange and in honor of life’s banquet which has been set before us here!
We wish to dazzle your tastebuds and pleasure your palettes
All the while amazing you with the alchemy of performance arts long time collected and transformed into confections!
While they delight all the physical sensations, of sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste
How we shall also feed the mind and nourish the soul!
Oh we are blessed that we get to enjoy such moments where we get to share in this Feast of Love with each other

Oh yes, it’s a Feast of Love
That we sweetly deliver
It’s a Feast of Love
That we totally savor
It’s a Feast of Love
That will feed us forever
It’s a Feast of Love
That we’ll always remember

And we’ll hum, hum, hum
For it’s so yum, yum, yum

Oh yes, it’s a Feast, A Feast of Love

And I will happily sing for my supper
Alongside the rest of the gang we have gathered
And when the time comes I will even gladly wash the dishes
With the best possible of wishes!

But for now, I’ve already cleared my plate, and eagerly await for seconds and thirds!
And the harvests and banquets will go on and on
Long after the time we are done, done, done
And the sharing we give keeps on giving
To nurture us as we carry forth living
There will always be new ingredients to entice us
Different methods and styles to try galore
While we can endeavor to explore them all
This HOMO-HARVEST of ours is beyond compare to enjoy!

Oh yes, it’s a Feast of Love
That we sweetly deliver
It’s a Feast of Love
That we totally savor
It’s a Feast of Love
That will feed us forever
It’s a Feast of Love
That we’ll always remember

And we’ll hum, hum, hum
For it’s so yum, yum, yum

Oh yes, it’s a Feast, A Feast of Love

And for that we’re eternally grateful
That we shared in this feast of love while able
So I can truly, truly say, I will always appreciate
The invitation to dine with you at the table!

GAY MAY DAYS Satyrday Night

 

GAY NATURE was the feature presentation of GAY MAY DAYS on what we called SATYRDAY NIGHT.  We designed the show as a wild pagan frolic of performances centered around gay essence in relationship to the planet, nature, and our identities. The energy of the evening was phenomenal, beyond our  expectations, but not surprising given our line-up of performers for the evening.  Click on the images to make them larger.

Performers included: Travis Wood, Clint Steinhauser, Gordon Vandenberg, Leopold Nunan Soares, Martin Martinez, David LeBarron, Andrew Henkes, The Miracle Whips, Prix de Beauté, Dan Poirier,  Juval Porat & Jose Promis, Paul Manchester, Ian MacKinnon, Jason Jenn, along with our faun helpers Jol Devitro and Marc Allan Toslu.

The evening started off by putting our production in the context of a historic Greek Satyr Play. After the presentation of 3 Classic Dramas, the Greeks would follow with a bawdy, fun, sexy performance to lighten the mood of the audience after the performance of the tragic plays. In this day and age, we always need such performances to brighten our spirits from modern dilemmas. So, Ian appeared as a Satyr host with a giant phallis, a typical element in many satyr play performances - which he "unloaded" on me with glittery tinsel, helping to transform the intellectual conversation and lead into our sexy Gay Nature production. The show was off to a great start.

Then David LeBarron and Andrew Henkes brought some fierce magic to the stage, doing a rousing and playful  rendition of a pagan invocation of the elements and directions.

This was followed by a fiery performance by the Brazilian dynamo, Leopold Nunan Soares, who thrilled audiences with his amazing three piece samba band, and practically bringing the roof down with his provocative energy.

Following such a performance is no easy task, but Gordon Vandenberg as the Empress was the perfect follow up, as she commanded the stage with her outrageous and witty comic monologue, taking the audience on her booze and drug fueled time traveling exploits. 

Next up was Martin Martinez, who shared a humorous and sexy story about daddy figures followed by a sultry and beautiful rendition of George Micheal's "Father Figure."

We then settled into a whimsical world to delight our inner child with Paul Manchester's story involving himself dressed up as Mother Nature and a story about wishing to be something other than we are with a puppet flower and mouse. 

Then to end Act 1, I  reappeared in a multi-colored glittery cloak and discussed how I was getting more in touch with my Gay Nature, by spending time in gardens, where I presented the importance of the lowly earthworm in the cycle of life, how interesting their hermaphrodite sexual natures are, and ended with a magical experience with an earthworm and I strip down to a worm-like outfit . It gave the audience a very pleasing end to Act 1.

We had a pre-show act of Jose Promis on piano and singer Juval Porat doing some rather sublime cover songs along with an original song by Jamez D, Palacio. During the intermission, Juval returned the to stage to sing a Hebrew spiritual song about the origins of the rainbow. 

Act Two began with Clint Steinhauser's colorful and mysterious performance involving crystal sound bowls and video exploring the essence of nothingness, emptiness, and the void within our lives. 

 

Then came the powerful performance troupe The Miracle Whips, composed of four phenomenal women. They created a comically provocative and crowd-pleasing piece about the menstral cycle, complete with one of them dressed up as a giant vagina and awesome video visuals!  

Travis Wood brought some Butoh dance intensity with a performance about the nature of being human stuck inside the shelter of a home and the yearning to be free set to the music of Bauhaus' "Stigmata Martyr"!

The spectacular performance artist Prix de Beauté aka Miss Puddles gave a Burlesque treat with her naughty kitty act which included glittery poo and a costume that became a vagina to roars of delight from the audience. 

Ian MacKinnon  treated the audience with a sneak peak of a piece from his  Gay Hist-Orgy Part 3: Mondo Mythological. The myth of Apollo and Hyacinth included video performances by DJ Billy Botox, Lark, and Jason Jenn with masks by Danny Hill.  

I returned to the stage, once more transformed by the excitement of the evening's Gay Nature - and all those drag queens and pussy on stage. This time I appeared as Polly Nater, a drag queen bee, to discuss how we all contribute to the creative pollination of ideas with each other. And also to encourage us to spread the love - and to bloom creatively while we can - just like our iconic  heroes once did and how they have pollinated their ideas into our culture! 

Performance and visual artist Dan Poirier led us into the finale, by emerging as a enclosed flower bud...doing a writhing dance, singing the lyrics to "Let the Sunshine In," and then the costume unfurls to reveal a fully bloomed flower. Audience was invited to sing and dance along with the cast in a climax that lead us into the maypole dance grand finale - more on that in another blog entry.

 

 

GAY MAY DAYS: Friday Night

Cody, Jason, April, Jared. Click on photos for larger image. All photos by Travis Wood.

GAY MAY DAYS got off to a beautiful start on Friday night with an evening of special performances in tribute to LGBTQ icons in "HOMO HEROES." Several LA based performance artists got to honor the spirits of gay greats alongside the Legacy Garden Altar that was constructed from the stage to the back wall.

Neil, Jol, Brian, Tyr

The evening started off with the lighting of the bonfire, a traditional element of Beltane. Tyr Geoffrey Jung-Hall brought a fun assortment of twisted candles that were used in a previous ritual and so several of us got to stand in a circle and pass the fire around as we said blessings for a wonderful weekend.

Jol Devitro and Brian DeShazor pass the fire around

Everybody lights the fire as one

Honored guest Malcolm Boyd in the fire's glow

 

Then Ian MacKinnon propelled us into the evening with a segment of his Gay Hist-orgy, his tribute to Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, which was also the first piece that ignited his entire tour-de-force series.

This was followed by the darling of the underground music scene, Monica Howe, aka La Muff, paying tribute to the iconic cross-dresser and provocateur, Marlene Dietrich.

Keeping with the Weimar Republic of Germany theme, we moved on to honor the renowned German psychologist Magnus Hirschfeld. Neil Eliot read from his original script about the "Einstein of Sex."

The audience was then treated to the cabaret-stylings of Jose Promis who sang the song "Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves" from the cult classic movie "Querelle" with lyrics by the one and only man of wit, Oscar Wilde.

Then I took to the stage to present a specially formatted section of my play "Cavafy's Caress" about the intimate world and words of Constantine P. Cavafy. With the help of Jason North, we helped deliver a sexy tribute to one of the most celebrated modern poets.

 

Then to add a bit of performance art variety to the evening, Doug Hammett performed his crowd-pleasing playful striptease number, "Softman", which includes a stunning quilted costume sewn by the multi-talented artist himself.

Act Two got off to a rousing start with the comic stylings of R. SKY Palkowitz and a raunchy tribute to the gay icon, Mae West, whom you should definitely come up and see sometime.

Then Ian took to the stage once again and presented a very heart-felt song "I'm a Man" by the first openly gay pop star, Jobriath, a man far ahead of his time and who sadly was shunned by the public for daring to be too effeminately out in the 70's.

Broadway Playwright Robert Patrick then took to the stage and gave us a little history lesson about early Broadway lyricists and how they depended on female characters in musicals to sing about their sexual longings for men. He charmed audiences by singing a cappella.

Then Brian DeShazor shared an audio clip about the early Radical Faeries movement from the vaults of Pacifica Radio KPFK, where he is in charge of the archives.

Jean Spinosa and Mike Penny paid tribute to one of the greatest rock bands in history, Queen! With Jean as frontsman Freddie Mercury and Mike as guitarist Brian May. Jean explained how well Freddie took care of his many lovers throughout his life and sang "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy" with backup dancers Ian and Jason.

Terrence Luke Johnson paid homage to his friend the beat poet Robert Duncan, who was an essential part of the San Francisco Renaissance.

The final performance of Act 2 was Coral Lobera and a tribute to the Grammy-Award winning Ranchera musician, Chavela Vargas.

Of course we finished off the night with the audience participating in a festive may pole dance. Check the next blog for photos from that!