Karen Kessler remembers where she was when she heard the Dobbs v Jackson ruling in 2022 — a Muncie home she shares with her mother.
Kessler recalled the fear she felt at that moment.
“I was crying, she was crying and I remember looking at her and saying, ‘I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,’” she said.
Kessler said her fear was fueled by the ruling and the fact that even though her mother’s generation fought for equality before her, the work they put in was seemingly becoming undone.
By “taking [her] eyes off the ball,” Kessler said she feels that men in power will continue to strike back in the one way they know how. By “making [women] into objects.”
“I get frustrated, I get mad, I worry but I fight,” she said. “... It turns out the weapon I have to fight with is my art.”
“Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again,” directed by Kessler, is currently on stage with Ball State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance at Strother Theater. The play, written by Alice Birch and first performed in 2014, runs every weekend until Oct. 27.
Over four acts, Kessler said Birch writes a feminist voice that aims to deconstruct language and showcase the struggle of women in a world constructed against them.
Scenic designer Emma Mercedes said the first act focuses on women functioning in a world controlled by masculine language, while act two focuses on generational trauma experienced by women.
Act three breaks down society and showcases “chaos,” illustrating the idea that society has “made such a mess they lost the point.” When act four begins, the stage settles and encourages reflection. The dark comedy attempts to break down the idea of the patriarchy and emphasize how women can revolt against it.
Kessler said her approach to picking — and now directing — the show was fueled by the strong feeling to do things that “say this [fight] is painful.”
“The irony of it is the fact that we have to do a play about how patriarchal language restricts us, and boy, when I say that out loud, it sounds so freaking boring,” she said. “… [Revolt’s] very human and very clear about what it is. It doesn't just call out men. It also calls out top feminism and academic feminism and all of those things that have rules instead of just lighting matches and burning shit down.”
The show's stage manager, Allison Moss, said working with Kessler to bring the production to life has been an extremely unique and rewarding experience.
“The show is dark and funny in a way that Ball State Theater hasn’t — at least in my time here — dove into,” Moss said. “... Karen specifically is fantastic at challenging men in an everyday world. It’s been really cool to watch somebody who is so for gender equality and female empowerment, and speaks out so actively about it, to put something on with the goal and full intention of making men uncomfortable.”
Moss said she values the show for its ability to make her audiences feel empowered. She said with the upcoming election, this value is especially important.
Putting on the show has not come without challenges, as Moss noted that production for the play only started in early September. She said the show is interpretive and “very theater,” making it initially difficult for her and other crew members to navigate and translate different aspects of the show.
Regardless of this, she said working through the initial kinks has been worth it, especially in light of the current political climate.
“I think that it's important for men to get such a raw perspective on it … Anybody who comes to see it, who possibly doesn't have the best understanding of some of the things women go through, I hope that they could take away some of the messages from the show and consider that when they go and put in a vote for somebody,” Moss said.
Mercedes, who’s been working on the show since this past spring, said designing the show has been a struggle due to the lack of directions for the set in the script, but also because of the complexity of the show's four acts.
“It's been a really interesting experience, especially since we have decided [on] this vaguely meta theater theme … We have all had such a hard time piecing together what we think this show exactly means, but I think that's the beauty of it, though. The beauty of it, in my opinion, is that anyone can take away a meaning to it that's different from everyone else,” Mercedes said.
She said creating this show alongside her peers in different departments and older staff members of the college has been incredible.
“It's very interesting working with a director that's older than me because me and her have different views on feminism, not very different, but different in the sense of generational progression,” Mercedes said. “It's been interesting to try to pair our views of feminism together in a way that feels cohesive and correct to both of us.”
Tickets for “Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again” are available through the College of Fine Arts Box Office at Sursa Hall, by phone at 765-285-8749, or online.
Kessler asks that those planning to see the show should do so with an open mind.
“If Dobbs wasn't a message, then we're not going to get it. [Revolt’s] important, even if it's one person who watches this play and goes, ‘OK, I know how I'm going to vote,’ or, ‘That helped me make up my mind,’” Kessler said. “… Hopefully this will be a sign … It's just understanding that we're asking people to watch this thoughtfully.”
Contact Trinity Rea via email at trinity.rea@bsu.edu or on X @thetrinityrea.
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