Spring is here in the Bay Area!!!!! Finally. And I am so excited about this weekend of events in the YaY! So many quality things to do and so little time to get it all in but I am going to encourage you to try, it will definitely be worth your time.
This week I interview Kat Evasco of Mommy Queerest. This one woman show has been selling out and getting great reviews. I talk to Kat about her inspiration, what the ride to national acclaim has been like and get the scoop on her future plans. Plus tons, literally TONS of amazing events starting tonight with Laverne Cox of Orange is the New Black speaking at Nourse Theater in SF, tickets still available. Finally check out my nom nom review of Burma Superstar and info on Black Weirdo coming back to Oakland for one night only. Tickets are selling like hotcakes once they are sold out they are sold out so we encourage you to pre purchase your tickets, scroll down to get the link.
Have a great opening Spring Weekend and I will see you soon!
Miz Chris [MC]: Where are you from?
Kat Evasco [KE]: I was born in the Philippines and was raised in Los Angeles. I moved to San Francisco nearly twelve years ago for college, and I refuse to leave!
[MC]: What was your inspiration to write your solo play Mommy Queerest?
[KE]: My solo play is inspired by my relationship with my mother who has been in a lesbian relationship for the last 24 years. You would think it would be the ideal situation; lesbian daughter comes out to lesbian mother, and they live their gay lives happily ever after. NOPE! My mother still does not identify as a lesbian, and internalized homophobia created a barrier between us for years. The play explores the challenges and triumphs of our individual journeys, but also how we find resolve in one another. My mother and I have a much more open relationship now, and the show (developing and performing) has proven to have helped us strengthen our relationship.
[MC]: Do you think there are unique experiences for Filipinos who come out as lesbians and if so what are they?
[KE]: I don’t know if the experiences are unique for Filipinos, more than they are for different generations. In my Mom and my case, she came from a generation where they did not speak about sexuality. Her partner 
was always her “friend.” I, on the other hand, speak very openly about sexuality and sex. EDGE SF called me the “world’s most foul-mouthed (foul-handed?) mime. I think my mother’s generation didn’t explicitly come out because there was a lot of shame and guilt being gay. Filipinos are very religious, so that’s always made it difficult, even for me and Filipino lesbians in my generation.
[MC]: What was the hardest part of writing, producing and performing Mommy Queerest?
Kat Evasco
[KE]: The hardest part of writing the play was revisiting some of the most traumatic moments of life, which included sexual abuse, drug abuse, and domestic violence. Writing the play was emotionally and mentally challenging, but eventually transformed to be a very cathartic experience. Producing your own work is really hard, but for us, emerging artists, we have little choice. The hardest thing was time management. I work a full-time job, was in rehearsals twelve hours a week, and spent ten additional hours every week to do administrative duties. I’m hoping that I never have to produce my own work again.
[MC]: What are your future plans for Mommy Queerest?
[KE]: Mommy Queerest is catapulting me to be national touring artist. We have been drumming up interests from presenters throughout the US. We have a tour manager, and are beginning to calendar our national tour. I hope that the show has a long life after this premier, and reaches diverse audiences across the country. This is very very exciting for me. On top of that, we are building a curriculum that will allow me to facilitate workshops for queer youth.
*NOTE: Mommy Queerest has completely sold out. However, they have added three shows on Thurs 3/27, Thurs 4/3, and Fri 4/4 and they go on sale today 3/19/2014 so make sure you grab those tickets asap! To buy tickets click here.
MOMMY QUEEREST
by Kat Evasco & John Caldon
performed by Kat Evasco
presented by Guerrilla Rep & DIVAfest
EXTENDED TO APR 4 !
EXIT Studio, 156 Eddy St, SF
Ain’t I A Woman?
My Journey to Womanhood with Laverne Cox
Nourse Theater
247 Franklin St, SF
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Buy Tix
Currently known for her role in the critically acclaimed Netflix original series Orange is the New Black, Laverne Cox is an actress, writer, producer, and transgender advocate.
In this evening, Laverne draws from her own personal story to explore how the intersections of race, class, and gender uniquely affect the lives of trans women of color to navigate the world.
Cox is the first African-American trans woman to produce and star in her own television show, VH1′s critically acclaimed TRANSForm Me. TRANSform Me was nominated for a GLAAD media award for Outstanding Reality Program in 2011 and was the first television show to star three transsexual women.
It’s Spring! Pop-Up Market
Kitchener
272 24th Street, Oakland
6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and spring is coming! We’re celebrating the last day of Winter and the beginning of Spring with a food-filled pop-up market featuring the best up-and-coming food artisans in Oakland!
* Free Entry!
* $2 Linden Street Brewery beer
* Free wine tasting
* Most foods $5 and under
* Family and friends friendly
Featured Artisans:
* ADD Alternative Delectable Delights – Vegan, gluten-free chocolates made without refined sugars
* Barbarian Gourmet – Pomegranate glazed chicken, coucous roasted eggplant (vegan options)
* Mini Trini Bistro – Trinidadian lentil pastelles (vegan + gluten-free)
* Pie Hole – Chicken pot pies and veggie pot pies
* Powered By Pork – Mexican-Vietnamese tacos: carnitas, pork belly, duck confit, veggie
* Ruby Red Kitchen – German beef rouladen with spaetzle, red cabbage and tastings of Chouinard Gewurtztraminer
* The Stroopie Gourmet – Caramel, savory (bacon & cheddar), and stroop-tart Dutch Stroopwafels
* Tart! Bakery – Chocolate Adventure, Cyrus Noble Bourbon Apple Pie, Cookie Tradition, California Ruby Port poached pears with maple candied pecans
* Uptown Juice Company – Organic, cold-pressed juices
Guests:
* Duffy’s Chili Oil – Habanero oil made to drizzle on everything
* Lusu Cellars – Heritage and Rhone varietal natural wines pressed and aged in Berkeley
W. Kamau Bell
The New Parish
579 18th Street, Oakland
18 and Over
Doors 7 p.m. Show 8 p.m.$25 at Door
Socio-political comedian W. Kamau Bell has emerged as the post-modern voice of comedy. Named an Ambassador of Racial Justice by the ACLU, his weekly half-hour FX comedy series, Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, premiered in August 2012 and became a critically acclaimed but criminally short nightly show in September of 2013 on FX’s new comedy network FXX. The NY Times called Kamau “the most promising new talent in political comedy in many years.” The show was nominated for “Best Talk Series” at the 2012 NAACP Image Awards and Salon.com listed Kamau on their “Sexiest Men of 2012” list, calling the series “surreptitiously revolutionary in its effortless diversity and humanism.” The San Francisco Chronicle raved, “it makes The Daily Show seem like something your dad watches.” Totally Biased was executive produced by Chris Rock, who became a fan after seeing a performance of Kamau’s one man show.
Sister Spit
Mills College
5000 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland
8 p.m.
Free
Sister Spit was established in San Francisco in the early 1990’s as a weekly all-female open mic series, co-founded by Michelle Tea and Sini Anderson. The duo launched the first Sister Spit national tour in 1997: 2 vans chock-full with cutting-edge dyke female writers and performers. Since its inception, Sister Spit has crossed the country many times and re-merged in 2007 as Sister Spit- Next Generation featuring established writers with young, emerging queer and queer-influenced artists of all genders.
Hosted by Michelle Tea!
Special Guests Hilary Goldberg and Brontez Purnell!!!
AND
Chinaka Hodge, Rhiannon Argo, Virgie Tovar, Dia Felix and Jerry Lee Abram
Mills College, Student Union
FREE- March 20, 2014 8pm
Red Hots Burlesque Presents
Go Deep: Let’s Wrestle
Supperclub
657 Harrison St, SF
Sign ups & Burlesque 9pm
Wrestling Begins at 10pm
The moment you’ve all been waiting for, Red Hots Burlesque SF’s Best Bump and Grind is back with a bigger space, sensational sight lines and the most insane ALL GIRL MONTHLY LUBE WRESTLING PARTY. You can come and watch or be a part of the action.
This is a QUEER space and we are offering lots of free tickets to our favorite queers. Get in touch and find out how you can get in on the action!
PHOTOS and VIDEO NOT PERMITTED!
Sign-ups done through RedHotsBurlesque@gmail.com and night of event.
LUBE WRESTLING!
Celebrity wrestlers from:
Maybe you?!
Past celebs have been from Team in Training, Sisters of Honk, The Lusty Lady San Francisco, Thrillpeddlers, Glama-Rama Salon and MORE!
Think your group, organization, business, sports team ect can take on our celebrities? email redhotsburlesque@gmail.com and sign up to wrestle
PERFORMANCES FROM:
Rubenesque Burlesque
Shredder Hoops!
Culture F*ck
Show and Tell Concept Shop
1427 Broadway, Oakland
Door Open 7 p.m., Show 7:30 p.m.
Pay what you can
Come out for a night of amazing performance featuring all sorts of wonderful local bay area performance artists and writers, some delicious FREE foods prepared by local food artists, a super queer toast and roast (you got funny, sweet, nerdy stories you wanna share about our relationship – share em please), a little bit of dancing and flirting and winding and grinding, and of course – all sorts of radical culture fucking LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!!!!!
Jezebel Delilah X is a queer, fat, Black femme performance artist, writer, filmmaker, educator, and Faerie Queen Mermaid Gangsta for the revolution. She is the senior editor for Black Girl Dangerous, co-host of East Bay Open Mic, Culture Fuck, a member of the story telling performance troupe, Griot Noir, an English instructor at several local community colleges, one of the founding members of Deviant Type Press, and on the artistic core of Peacock Rebellion. She uses a combination of performative memoir, theatrical poetry, and feminist storytelling to advance her politix of radical love, socioeconomic justice, anti-racism, community accountability, and liberation.
Culture Fuck is a feminist, anti-racist performance space for radical outcasts, passionate queers, gender liberators, intellectual non-conformists, and everyone else who loves to break rules and subvert social propriety.
You are welcome to perform spoken word, poetry, music, dance, comedy, theatre, and prose. Please bring your zines, books, chapbooks, or edible merchandise to offer for donation or to freely distribute!
StormMiguel Florez, Shawna Virago, and Star Amerasu
Dolores Park Cafe
501 Dolores St, SF
7 p.m.
$5-$10 Sliding Scale
Please join us for an intimate, transfabulous evening of acoustic music with Shawna Virago, StormMiguel Florez, and Star Amerasu at Dolores Park Cafe!
ALL AGES
Wheelchair accessible
Q2 4-year Multimedia Celebration with Dulce UpFront
La Estrellita
446 E. 12th St, Oakland
10 p.m. – 1:45 a.m.
$3-$7 Sliding Scale
Dulce UpFront is a community multimedia arts collective based out of Fresno, California, United States. We intend to collaboratively invent positive environments of creative expression utilizing a multimedia arts approach whereby every aspect, from design to implementation, is developed with love and respect for ourselves, our families, and our communities.Dulce UpFront holds a multimedia art global music dance experience in Fresno, CA every first Friday of each month called PINCHE. This is a collaborative project between Dulce UpFront and an array of event producers, artists, musicians, and grassroots organizations from throughout California. Each event is curated in a similar format with live music performances, DJ sets, live artists, poetry, dance performances, artisan vendors, and food. The focus differentiates from show to show with regard to the cultural aspect. Each PINCHE is designed to be an inclusive and informative space for our community. A place where individuals can have a unique experience through music and live art in a visually rich multimedia environment.We are artists,organizers and activists whom believe that the arts is a vital role in movement building. All proceeds from each PINCHE go toward the creation of multi-generational events that highlight the talents of internationally- acclaimed and locally respected artists whom bring a powerful uplighting message through various forms of art. we believe a multi-multi approach to event production is vital in working toward collective liberation.
Test
Test
Black Girls Are From the Future” and “(H)afrocentric: The Comic Vol. 3
Betti Ono
1427 Broadway, Oakland
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.Buy Tix
Join authors Renina Jarmon (“Black Girls Are From the Future”) and Juliana “Jewels” Smith ( “(H)afrocentric: The Comic Vol. 3″) for the launch of their latest works. They’ll share their vision of storytelling in an increasingly digital world with book signing to follow.
Renina Jarmon a doctoral student, blogger and author of “Black Girls Are From The Future : Essays on Race, Digitial Creativity and Pop Culture.
http://blackgirlsarefromthefuture.com/
Juliana “Jewles Smith” is a cultural worker, educator, organizer and author of (H)afrocentric: The Comic.
http://hafrocentric.com/
These game changing Bay Area bred women are bringing their latest works to share with us as part of the My Art, My Culture series. Join us for a very special Book Release and Signing event on Saturday March 22nd!!
Proceeds from ticket sales support the ongoing development of the MY ART, MY CULTURE series, elevating the work of women in art, culture, media and performance.
thePeople Oakland
SWEET SURRENDER
The New Parish
579 18th St, Oakland
9pm-3am
$5 before 10pm / $10 after
thePeople are honored to present Rob Rhythm. It’s about to go down.
2nd ROOM GUEST
MPENZI
HOSTED BY:
AMY NABONG
BEATS BY
CALI, CECIL, HEYLOVE* & ORFEU NEGRO’
((VENDORS))
* BushMama (jewelry & art)
* Alouba Custom Creative Arts (up-cycled jewelry)
* Ital Pinay (jewelry)
* Urban Antiq (designer jewelry)
* Allattractive (local designs)
((LIVE PAINTING))
* Creative Shields
* Malik Senefru
The Sunday Scene
Oakland Era
19 Grand Ave, Oakland
12:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
For the past month The Sunday Series at Oakland Era have been a blast, taking Oakland day parties to another level ….. We continue the party this weekend with
||The Sunday Scene||
#SundayFunday #OaklandDayLife #Oaklandsfinest #Oaklandnightlife
Music By Durell DcisChillin Coleman , Veyn’s Wurl, and Halline Haylow Overby
Hosted By Alicia Steward and Michael Anthony Edwards
$15 Dollar Bottomless Mimosas
$25 Dollar Beer Buckets
Burma Superstar
4721 Telegraph Ave
Oakland, CA
btw 47th St & 48th St
Spicy Crispy Chicken
This eatery has been a staple in the Bay Area since 1992. But even so it is never a bad idea to review a good restaurant and Burma Superstar is more than a good restaurant, it is a great restaurant. So if there are any of you who haven’t had the pleasure of eating here then get yourself to one of their three locations. I have eaten at the Alameda and Oakland locations and there is also one in San Francisco. My favorite dish is their Spicy Crispy Chicken with Coconut Rice (sold separately). The chicken inside its crispy crust in deliciously tender and the spices used in the sauce are a perfect blend of hot and sweet. I highly recommend this dish, especially if
Samosas
this is your first time. Their Samosas are vegetarian and really savory as an appetizer. The sauce they serve with the Samosas is really tasty and brings out flavor of the dish.
The ambiance of their Oakland spot is really fresh. Clean lines, clean decor and the superstar of the space is the food. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, so if this is your first time don’t be afraid to ask questions about the menu. All three spots are popular so expect to wait for a table during peak hours. Trust me it is worth the wait.
Pre-Sale Tix Available Now!