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Clitoratae
Pillow Talk
To all of you who came to the event - THANK YOU. We worked
incredibly hard to put on a good party and although I'm aware that not
everything was to everybody's taste, well, you can't please all of the
people all of the time.
My own thoughts on the evening were that it went well.
The music was what we had wanted for the night and was dj'ed with
exceptional skill by both Karen and Davie. Dance music is not everybody's
thing, but it was mixed to fit with the particular performances we used.
I know that both dj's appreciated the crowd and your appreciation of
them. And, of course, your requests for something a little more 'chart'
orientated!!! Although the music was lower in volume upstairs, it wasn't
as low as I'd have liked. We'll sort that for next time and have a
definite 'chill out' area for chit chat. We'll also have a much more
clearly delineated dance area. I wanted to mix it up a bit and have
people dance around the dj booth and wherever took their fancy - which
you did. I also liked the idea of an open fire and a seated area where
people who wanted to just watch people dancing, could do so. I think this
worked, but we'll design the dj area to make it's function clearer next
time - specific lighting, less seating etc..
For the next night we'll be working around a different theme, therefore a
different style of performance, and therefore a different style of music.
We'll keep you informed. PROVISIONALLY WE’LL BE WORKING WITH A
CABARET/BORDELLO FEEL. ALL FEEDBACK WELCOME.
The performance companies thoroughly enjoyed your company and were
delighted with the response to their work. It can be hard to perform in a
club where people are drunk and rude and boisterous. You were NOT like
that. So thank you.
I know that the 'screen peep show' act at the back of the space was hard
for some people to see. Originally this was ment to take place in the
room off to the left, opposite the bar. There would have been a much
wider audience space there. Unfortunately there were technical
difficulties and Far Out Productions had to adapt quickly. So well done
to them for thinking on their feet. And if you didn't manage to see this
act, OR TAKE YOU CLOTHES OFF FOR IT, I'm sure the Silver Ladies caught up
with you at some point during the night!
In your Space Inc. were the robots and the HUGE Goliath creation. I
always love to see the reaction of a crowd to these acts. I know that
some of you fled at the sight of these 'things' coming toward you.
Others, who were braver (or more drunk??!) had a little dance with one or
the other of them.
And of course there was The Angle Grinder. Please God this woman never
loses concentration during the act! Sexy, sexy woman. Sexy, sexy act.
Clare, of Big Hat Carnival was the lady delighting us on the stairwell.
I've had plenty of requests for her number! Look to the end of this mail
for details...
Sarah of Pure Dance Agency was the Clitoratae hostess with the mostess on
the night. Any number of personae and a costume change for each one - top
hat and tails, little maid, nursie nursie, BIG hair and fuck me smiles.
If you had some complete stranger come and ask you 'sweetie, do you want
to play...?...', well, that was Sarah. And you should have said 'yes'!
Upstairs we had Cat of Wild Cat Body Jewellers, Skull of Skin Works body
art, Ruth of Muff Monsters on Prozac, Kay doing Voodoo Tarot, Vincent of
Gay-Ireland.com and all the 'sexualities' literature and sex aids.
On the door we had Sarah - remained calm, cool and collected at all
times, took your money, listened to your complaints about how much the
tickets cost - NOTHING to do with her and pleeeease, look at what you got
for £12/8. Aside from commercial costs, EVERY penny went into the hands
of the queer, mainly female, workers on the night. See below for the
breakdown on costs.
DialEmma and Johnny were the ‘ladies’ who had you stamped and, no
doubt, given the once over, before you were ushered into Voodoo proper.
Daaaahrlings, you were fabulous. And by the way Johnny, I know a number
of gay boys who wanted to take you home that night. They had NO idea you
were in drag!
This night was filmed and is, as I type, being transferred from digital
film into a cut and edited piece. The idea is that Clitoratae is an
on-going project and that the film is an on-going, evolving record of an
emerging new scene. We will keep you informed about when and where you
can see this piece. A BIG thanks to Ruth for making this film. We love
you! The night was also photographed exclusively by Linda Greene. Linda's
work will be available to all publications who wish to cover the event
and the first airing will be in GCN, Women’s News and the Voodoo web
site, so check out her work there. She'll also be working with the club
on the design side of things and you'll see more of her work as part of
the art work advertising the next Clitoratae - hopefully around June. As
regards the BBC Radio Ulster piece, this went out on 15 Feb. as part of
the Across the Line program. Apparently the BBC in the North are
interested in lesbians and sex. Go figure!
I’ll leave until last the question of whether men, particularly
straight men should have been at the night. Not because we wish to
trivialise the point, but because it’s a BIG question and maybe the one
I’d like people to think on the most.
Clitoratae has many agendas, but at it’s heart is a deeply held
commitment to the practice of ‘queer’.
QUEER - the practise of making conscious, unconsciously held beliefs
about the world in an attempt to uncover or construct truth(s) about
oneself and one’s environment.
In this sense to be ‘queer’ is to believe that through the act of
challenging our perspectives - and there are very many ways of doing this
- we can gain a sense of our truth(s). This doesn’t mean to say that
our heads are going to have an easy time of this, but the belief is that
it’s an approach which’ll bring, for some, peace.
Clitoratae uses many methods to encourage this ‘queer’ practise, and
one of them is to put on shows which combine music, dance, performance,
display and information. Our belief is that these are transformatory
practices to engage in, with and to bear witness to. To be transformed is
to experience life from a different place. And from that different place
will come new truths - new truths from which to look at one’s own and
other’s beliefs from. Your head may ache, you may feel a little
nauseous at the removal of life’s old certainties, but with each flex
of your imagination you expand your empathetic potential, and with it
your capacity to forgive.
BINGO! You’re doing it! You’re queering the planet!
All well and good, but we ALSO seek to embody difference in REAL LIVE
PEOPLE!!!. We actively market to and put together shows which will
attract a mixed bag of folks. Here’s where the fun starts!
CLITORATAE - let’s queer the world.
SURVIVOR OF ABUSE - erm...
CLITORATAE - let’s have a party and invite lots of different people,
including some of those people who like to hurt and hate each other and
if we put on a good show, and are paragons of creative energy and have a
‘code of conduct’ posted up, everybody will have a good time and feel
happy and learn to love and not hate each other.
SURVIVOR OF ABUSE - erm....
CLITORATE - and those of you who don’t have a good time and who don’t
enjoy the company of people you’ve learnt to hate and abuse and be
frightened of, well...
SURVIVOR OF ABUSE - erm.....
CLITORATAE - ..., and if you feel the need to act out your abuse by being
abusive, you’re clearly just not ready for this kind of club.
SURVIVOR OF ABUSE - fuck off cunt/queer/femme
girl/nancyboy/homo/homophobe/biphobe/misogynist/racist/straight boy....
<delete or add as appropriate>
We recognise the limitations of what we’re trying to do. We welcome the
potential of what we’re trying to do. In order for difference to be a
place of curiosity and excitement, a place you’d go look for rather
than a place you’d shun and fear, certain conditions HAVE to be
present. Clitoratae provides some of these conditions, including the
diversity of people, the forms of entertainment, the venue, literature,
examples of creative courage, door policies etc., YOU provide the rest.
Including your attitude.
Managing difference is not an easy process for us or you. We will do our
level best to ensure that the diverse clientele we encourage, we let into
the club. This includes those of you with deep seated prejudices and
fears but who’re interested enough in some of what we do to pay in. And
hey, you just might meet someone you used to bully at school and who now
you wish you could dance with. (a TRUE story from the night). For those
of you who want to come play at being abusive and threatening, it doesn’t
matter to us what your gender or sexual orientation is, GO HOME.
For my own part, things I would change include the code of conduct. It
will be much more directed at the potential of prejudice by men toward
women, it will be in bigger and bolder type face, and there will
be absolutely no question of people being snuck in through the back door
(friends of the management, you know who you are). Also, I hope to be a
little less stressed and knackered and busy on the night so that I can
personally monitor what’s going on in the club. I may be short but I
have deceptively large breasts which shoot poison arrows from the
nipples. Please be warned.
UNTIL OUR OWN WEB SITE IS UP, UP AND AWAY WE WOULD BE DELIGHTED IF DEBATE
ON THE QUEER THEORY ISSUES RAISED IN THE ABOVE COULD BE DONE ON THE
GAY-IRELAND.Com mailing list.
So, girls and boys and all of the rest of you. Thank you again for
coming. Clitoratae is obviously going to remain true to it's creative and
erotic values, but we need your feedback to tweak the bits that need
tweaking. If you have thoughts on the night and want to share them,
please mail us at clitoratae@hotmail.com
or else you can call on 0879161065.
There were feedback books upstairs, but your writing was a little, erm,
wobbly. If you did write in them, thank you. Please also mail us what you
wrote in case we can't decipher your scrawl. The BIG BUT is, please don't
be rude! Seriously, there is a helluva difference between what is or is
not to your taste, and whether something is interesting and provocative
and done with aplomb. We DO welcome criticism, but not UNconstructive
rudeness.
If you're an artist/tech person/general good egg and want to get involved
- MAIL or CALL!
Last but not least, a big thanks to all at Voodoo. Management and owners
took a big risk letting us take the venue on a Saturday night. Cheers.
And to all the bar staff and to the security guys and galls, you were a
delight!
See you in June?
clitoratae.
Contact Details:
Big Hat Carnival Co. - 04871 311599:claremillar25@hotmail.com
44 bigwood rd., ardmore, l/derry, bt47 3rp, northern ireland
Clitoratae Productions - 086 9161065:clitoratae@hotmail.com
Deep Fried Funk, Davie - 04871 286828
DialEmma - 086 8623856:thisdesire@yahoo.com
Far Out Productions - 087 6543575:farout_productions@oceanfree.net
Rachel/Johnny/Stephanie-Strap-On - 087 4156285:rulcat@yahoo.com
Gay Ireland - www.gay-ireland.com
In Your Space Inc. - 04871 291393:
john@iyspace.com
:p.o.
box 153, l/derry, bt47 3yp, northern ireland
dj Karen - rockdjie2000@yahoo.com
Linda Green - 086 4074894:greengrll@hotmail.com
Muff Monsters On Prozac - muffmonsters@hotmail.com
:ruth mccarthy c/o p.o. box 44, belfast bt1, northern ireland
Pure Dance Agency - 0044 790 1523909:04890 660654:puredance@disinfo.net
Sexualities - 086 9161065:sexualities@hotmail.com
Skin Works - 04890 329146:23, north st. arcade, belfast, northern ireland
Wild Cat Collection - 00447748954165:wildcatireland@amserve.co.uk
p.o.box 1320, belfast, bt1 1pw:23 north street arcade, belfast, northern
ireland
Costings:
Total - £3384.035
Total paid to Women - £1166.25
Cost of venue - £1000
Remaining costs (inc. gay male employees) - £1217.785
Income generated by ticket sales - £3388.25
Profit made (before final cost of telephone bill deducted) - £4.215
clitorAlex.
xox
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