RAW Festival Presents Reprehensible Mona Trans-Girl Live and In person at SAFEHouse Arts

Solo performer Jerry Metzker is one of four acts presenting at the SAFEHouse Arts RAW Festival on Saturday, October 18, 2025, in San Francisco. Metzker is introducing a new drag character in “Reprehensible Mona Trans-Girl Live and In Person.” In the piece, the title character shows her video followers several dumbbell exercises to help them become more fit and healthy. “I think I look pretty good for a woman in her fifties,” she says, insisting that she is a natural female. Sometimes, she gets distracted from the workout to share her thoughts on the state of the United States, false eyelashes, fake news, liars and natural bodies. “I am unabashedly an American patriot,” she declares.

“Mona,” says Metzker, “has a lot to say. She doesn’t necessarily think about what she’s saying, but she says it anyway.”

“I realize her name is weird and complicated,” he adds, “but I believe all this is worth it.”

Jerry Metzker is a playwright, solo performer, actor director and trapeze artist who has presented solo pieces at such Bay Area venues as PlayGround, Mannakin Theater and Dance, the Marsh and the San Francisco Fringe Festival. Recently, he played the Greek muse of dance in “Terpsichore Speaks,” a solo play with dance directed by Nathan Cottam for Mannakin Theater and Dance. His other drag character, Ms. Victory Jaronda (Ms. Vicky), has performed on the trapeze in several shows and can be found volunteering and hosting at different events, such as Free Key Choir Concerts. Metzker has also directed several solo plays written and performed by John Fisher, including Fisher’s long running “A History of World War II.) (www.jerrymetzker.com)

SAFEhouse is a cooperative, community art space that hosts Residencies, Workshops, and Performances on Eddy Street in San Francisco. The RAW (Resident Artists Workshop) is a curated series of artists presenting new and original material.

In addition to “Reprehensible Mona Trans-Girl,” the October 18 RAW presentation features three dancer/choreographers: Mayuri Chakaborty, Marc Cunanan Chappelle and Tejasvi Natyalaya.

In the weeks after the performance, Metzker intends to create several other workout videos featuring Reprehensible Mona Trans-Girl that will be available on YouTube (along with his other performance videos).