Dickinson College's 'We Are Pussy Riot' Celebrates Punk Activists Who Rocked the World
Dickinson College's production of 'We Are Pussy Riot' comes to the Mathers stage Nov. 1-4. Photo by A. Pierce Bounds '71.
Notorious protest performance memorialized in immersive stage performance
by MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson
It’s been called the most famous performance-art piece in history, and the punk song that rocked the world. Now, a dramatic exploration of Pussy Riot's 2012 punk-rock protest is coming to Dickinson’s stage.
Dickinson’s Department of Theatre & Dance presents We Are Pussy Riot (or Everything is P.R.) Nov 1-4 in Mathers Theatre. The Friday, Nov. 1, Saturday, Nov. 2, and Monday, Nov. 4, performances will be staged at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee on Sunday, Nov. 3.
The play memorializes the artistic activism of Pussy Riot, a feminist punk band/art collective that became a global sensation in 2012. To protest the Russian election, the musicians-activists performed a 48-second punk prayer, “Virgin Mary, Chase Putin Away,” on the steps of Moscow’s Church of Christ the Savior. That earned them two years in jail—and support from artists and activists around the world.
We Are Pussy Riot takes on this modern-day legend, as told by the Yurodivy (“holy fools”) and informed by trial transcripts, interviews, letters and other records of the event and its aftermath. Dickinson's production features immersive, onstage seating that heightens the play's raw energy and immediacy. Assistant Professor of Theatre & Dance Karie Miller directs the 14-member cast, with scenic, video and lighting design led by Assistant Professor of Theatre Design Kent Barrett and costumes, props and performance objects designed by Professor of Theatre Sherry Harper-McCombs.
The Nov. 1-4 performances are open to the public. Tickets are $7, or $5 with student ID, and can be purchased online or by calling the Mathers Theatre Box Office, 717-245-1327.
Photos by A. Pierce Bounds '71.
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Published October 30, 2019