BWW Blog: Siobhan O'Loughlin - Minnesota Remount 

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When October came, I returned to one of my favorite places in the US: Minneapolis.

This was the first actual "remount" of Broken Bone Bathtub I've ever done. It was a rigorous schedule, more so than LA, and I was producing it on my own. The Minneapolis theatre scene is so beautiful, and generous, and my hosts were a crew of folks who had actually attended the performance before at the Minnesota Fringe.

I took 22 baths over the span of three weeks. I performed at my friend Roy's home, beside a bust of Venus di Milo. I was at Nancy and Nate's house, where folks sat on countertops to watch. My friend Ariel gave her bathtub, and one woman bought every seat available for her friends. I did three performance nights at Florence's marvelous downtown apartment, and I marveled at the books she owns as she cut me a slice of homemade vegan cake. Scott Pakudaitis held the fort down for being the ONLY St. Paul-based location. My friend Andi held a marvelous evening, in which her partner took down the actual bathroom door to make it possible. I arrived to her home after a super rainy bike ride, cold and late and downtrodden, and Andi fed me soup and gave me hugs before I went on.

I also performed at my friend Colleen's mother's home. I met Colleen at the Fringe months before, and she told me about her mother's gorgeous pink swan themed bathroom. Her mother had died just months before that, and Colleen and her brother were working on selling the house. But they hadn't done it yet, so there was space. We loaded chairs into an otherwise empty house, carried them up to the bathroom, which was indeed, really beautiful. Colleen sat in on both performances I did at her home, and we spoke about her mother. And all of our families, and the loss, or the gain, that we've been through. I will never forget that big pink space, and my friend Colleen, smiling, bravely telling us her story, as she thanked audience for being there with us.

I was also hosted for a finale repeat performance at the home of the ever-illustrious Robin Gillette. I can't even begin to describe how much it was that Robin helped me, from start to finish of this project. The time I spent with her as she slowly guided me through the steps of producing in Minneapolis. To say that any of my Bathtub shows in Minneapolis alone would be glaringly untrue, actually, because Robin taught me so much, with patience and eloquence and kindness. And we got so much press. I am so grateful and so honored that Robin was willing to spend so much time with me, and on this project.

I want to address, now, a point that was made in the article I cited, about privilege and race/class. While artists tend to be more progressive people, it doesn't actually make us better or smarter than non-artists, and our progression often doesn't show in the spaces where we make our art. I'm a white solo performer, and all of my Minnesotan hosts were white. Some audiences were genuinely diverse; most were white. When I reach a new city with this show, I try my best to cover lots of ground in terms of local press and mailing lists. That generally does NOT translate into diverse audiences. On the one hand, as a self producer, throwing a whole lot together and hoping for the best, I CAN say that I have little/no control over who attends my show. But is that true? What can I do? How can I do better, amidst the turmoil of my country now, to reach more people? What part can I play to disassemble the segregation in our country that manifests itself in every turn, including our art?

These are thoughts that I think many artists in the US are considering right now, and I want to actively engage. I don't have the answers to those questions. But I'm hoping that, as the year progresses, I will.

But I still haven't finished my love letter to Minnesota. My dear friend Ariel Lopez hooked me up with a bike and a helmet, so I could get around without any problem, all over the city. I went to Veg Fest with Scot Moore, and made friends at bike shops who took us to see giant fall festive puppet shows. I ran on the greenway in the mornings, and biked on the greenway at night. I got to see the Twin Cities Horror Fest, and reconnect with lots of artists that I admire.

Performing a vulnerable thing and inviting others to be vulnerable with you, as you go from place to place, is such an exciting privilege that I have. It also means that I expose parts of myself and other people that I then leave behind, that I move on and away from. Personally, this very sentiment is something that rings particularly true in Minneapolis. And wherever I am, my privilege is something that I must consider, deeply.



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