Description
by Kat Georges
Three compelling plays full of energy and madness, as gripping on the page as they are on the stage.
THREE SOMEBODIES: Plays About Notorious Dissidents (978-1-941110-54-6; Three Rooms Press; March 2018; $19.95) by poet-playwright-designer Kat Georges offers a trio of fascinating, cutting edge plays about notorious dissidents—people who shook up the world— for better or worse, including “SCUM: The Valerie Solanas Story,” “Art Was Here,” inspired by poet-pugilist and Dada precursor Arthur Cravan, and “Jack the Rapper,” a mash-up of Jack the Ripper and T. S. Eliot.
Shakespeare had his kings and princes. Georges chose royalty of the infamous variety: Valerie Solanas, author of The SCUM Manifesto, who famously shot Andy Warhol. Arthur Cravan—nephew of Oscar Wilde, wild child pugilist and poet—whose legendary antics preceded and influenced the Dada movement. Jack the Ripper as sculpted through the words of T. S. Eliot’s poem “Rhapsody on a Windy Night.”
All three plays received their world premieres at San Francisco’s notorious Marilyn Monroe Memorial Theater, known for its focus on “demolished texts, deconstructed classics, and new works.” As such, the plays are not representative of standard “bio-dramas.” Rather these are stripped down, twisted, juxtaposed, hard-bent works of intensity designed to bring each of the subjects to life as three-dimensional portraits, and to examine their particular personas from the inside out. The subjects of these three plays refused to be handcuffed by linear drama so they roar to life in twists and shouts, psychedelic tremors, and whirlwind ebullience.
Playwright Georges paints each of these plays with bold, innovative strokes that expand the boundaries of the theatrical milieu. As compelling to read off the page as to perform, these three plays offer sharp dialogue and prismatic views of their rebellious subjects, casting aside stereotypical, bullet-pointed personalities to establish new perspectives on their subjects.
THREE SOMEBODIES: Plays About Notorious Dissidents, by Kat Georges; 6″ x 9″ Trade Perfect Bound; color cover with b/w interior; 192 pages; ISBN 978-1-941110-54-6Â (TRP-063); $19.95
High Praise for THREE SOMEBODIES
and KAT GEORGES
“Three spiked drinks which will take you places you’ve never been. Tangy and dangerous.”
—Dr. Larry Myers, playwright, “Jack Kerouac: Catholic”
“These works of Kat Georges pack a real punch. That’s an understatement. Each play reels the reader in with its energy and layers of art.” —Ashley Adams
“Kat Georges devours love, politics, memory, sex, feminism and whimsy and transforms them into a muscular poetry . . . an homage—not an imitation—to that black humor both the Surrealists and Dadaists championed.” —Ron Dakron, author, Hello Devilfish!
“Compelling writing that is urban and contemporary with humor in the mix.” —Writing Thru It
About Kat Georges
Kat Georges is an internationally known poet and playwright, who cofounded San Francisco’s Marilyn Monroe Memorial Theater in 1992, where she served as co-artistic director for eight years. Her previous books include the poetry collections Our Lady of the Hunger, Punk Rock Journal, and Slow Dance at 120 Beats Per Minute. Her work has appeared in journals worldwide, including The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry (Thunder’s Mouth Press), The Verdict Is In (as editor; Manic D Press), and Ladyland: Anthologie de Littérature Féminine Américaine (13E Note Editions). Her nonfiction prose has been published in San Francisco Examiner, Orange County Register, La Habra Daily Journal, and more. She was born and raised in Southern California, where she co-founded The Eye Magazine, which covered the SoCal punk scene in the early 80s, following her graduation from California State University, Fullerton. She is cofounder and codirector of Three Rooms Press and currently lives in New York City