Star Stone Brings the #MeToo Movement to Fringe!
If there was ever a time and place for Star Stone to share her story, it's right here and right now. The poet, activist and artist had been toying for a while with the idea of a solo show that examined her experience in the sex-positive communities of the Bay Area and de-stigmatized women working in the sex industry. However, something was missing...
"Originally, it was a fun piece about sex, sexuality and life in my 20s, but once I began working with my director, I realized there was a deeper message that wanted to come through," Stone said. "At the start of the #MeToo movement, I knew this was exactly what I was doing with this show and it shifted into what it is now."
Stone is now thrilled to bring #metoo to audiences for a limited engagement this June at Studio C in Hollywood as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival. A one-woman comedy, #metoo evaluates our modern dating culture through the eyes of a mid-twenties woman struggling to embrace her body while also exploring her sexuality. Told with an impressive myriad of unique characters and stories from Stone's life, the show also focuses on sexual safety, highlighting the wide spectrum of #MeToo experiences and why this movement is so important in educating men and women alike.
"It's really an edutainment piece in that you're not just witnessing a story about a woman who went through all these different experiences, but you learn alongside her, the narrator, as she learns," Stone said. "Terms like 'consent,' and 'boundaries' are described in the show and stand out to me as important moments for both the character and the audience because we get to see how while a lot of these terms are absent in our culture and our education growing up, they are vital to successful adult relationships. I'd like to think that this show is a marriage between a really fun comedy show and a feminist TED Talk."
#Metoo debuted earlier this year at the Whitefire Theatre Solofest. Directed by Fringe veteran Jessica Lynn Johnson, it received rave reviews for its poignancy, intelligence, wit and humor. Stone herself received praise for her honesty, depth, passion, energy and the fact that she embodies over 30 characters in her story-telling. A former member of the Oakland Slam Poetry Team and a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, performing a solo show like this has been Stone's dream and she's thrilled to share it.
"Hopefully, audiences will come away with a basis of understanding of what narcissistic abuse looks and feels like, understand the multitudes of sexual assault, and have greater compassion for survivors." Stone said. "I also hope they walk away feeling a sense of healing and a sense of connection, that we are not alone and we just all want to be loved and treated fairly."
DATES AND TIMES:
Part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival
Saturday, June 2, 10 p.m.
Saturday, June 16, 3 p.m.
Friday, June 22, 8:30 p.m.
LOCATION:
Studio C
TICKET PRICES:
General Admission: $12
*$5 for other Fringe participants
FOR MORE INFORMATION: http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/4936
