Main character energy

I went to the theatre twice this weekend - a rare treat. On Friday night I saw Waitress at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre, and Saturday I went to The Lion King in Toronto. Both were fantastic, but I had a much more muted response to Lion King than I used to. Of course it could be because I was a child when the movie came out so it was more important to me then, but I think there’s more to it.

My appetite for stories has changed over the years, and I realized in that theatre that I am not interested in men’s hero journeys anymore - not even those of male lions. Stories of the dominant, privileged and powerful young man struggling to claim his rightful title…we’ve got enough of those. The world is saturated with those stories.

I want to hear other people’s stories. I want to read and watch and listen to the experiences of almost anyone but powerful males. I want to see the world through other eyes, and I want to know how other people feel. In the Lion King, for example, the lionesses are the clear heroes, doing all the hunting and child rearing and protecting the kingdom when the evil Uncle takes over - but they are only represented as partners for the males. They are all secondary characters, their support roles accepted as a given. But I want a movie about them.

Waitress, on the other hand, had me from start to finish. It is a story that centres the everyday reality of three imperfect women. They are not heroic, they are not always happy, they make mistakes and bad choices, they work service jobs and they love each other. And I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say it is thrilling to see a woman make a choice for herself that has nothing to do with what any man wants her to do.

The world is changed by the stories we tell and the worlds we make visible. For example, it is a known and studied fact that the TV show Will & Grace helped turn the tides of opinion in favour of gay marriage in the United States. On a personal scale, I am made stronger and more sure of myself every time I see a woman’s story represented. And when that story isn’t explicitly about feminism, when it’s just a woman living her very real life, I’m so excited I can hardly stand it. Can we just exist as the main character? Hell yes. Give me more of that every damn day of the week.

xo
Shannon

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Upcoming Shows

NOT A SHOW at all, but I really want to see your beautiful faces at the upcoming Song/Story/Spoken Word sharing circle. It’s completely impromptu, entirely unplugged and always magical event, and you can come prepared to share or just enjoy what other folks have to offer. This is the place to try out your new song or add some harmonies to someone else’s.

This Sunday June 22 from 3-5pm at Dwellissimo (Walton St., Port Hope)
Will you be there?

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Featured Song - Endling

I mostly write about the future I wish for these days, but not so long ago I was compelled to write this song about the last living member of a species. The scientific name for such a creature - endling - is heartbreaking in its vulnerability. Our leaders are rushing us toward the world we don’t want, the world in this song, and sometimes I need to sit in the sadness of that before I gather myself back up and get back to the fight of building a better way.

Here’s to feeling it all so we can fight for it all.