NACA SHOWCASING ARTIST - NATIONALS TRAINING SHOWCASE 2009, NORTHERN PLAINS TRAINING SHOWCASE 2009, WEST LECTURE SHOWCASE 2006
Lectures and Workshops
"Gender, Race, and Money"
The gap between rich and poor in the United has been widening and this is particularly pronounced in communities of color and for women. During this engaging and interactive lecture, Dark teaches participants about trends in the distribution of wealth in America and how those trends affect all Americans. We can no longer afford to ignore the history of privilege and poverty, if we hope to create a world in which that American dream of fairness and prosperity can become a reality.
In this hugely participatory event, Dark leads participants through exercises to help them understand their own wealth, how it is influenced by the privilege of birth and circumstances and how those who lack wealth may not be as personally deficient as some believe. The content of this lecture is applicable to each person who uses money - and participants will leave with the tools for making connections with others to work toward a more just economy.
"Becoming the Subject of Your Own Story (Rather than the Object of Another’s Gaze)"
This spoken word performance uses humor and first-person storytelling to uncover the various ways that women (and men) cheat the world of their fabulous human potential by focusing too often on appearance, sweetness and popularity, rather than living full lives. The show does not preach or instruct. Rather audience members discover their own empowerment through Kimberly’s funny and personal tales. Dark also offers five suggestions that can help anyone develop greater personal sovereignty and start becoming a more vibrant participant in life.
"Leadership Diversity"
Do you sometimes not discuss gender, race, class and sexual orientation because you’re afraid someone will feel bad, or you can’t find the right words? Or maybe, you’re afraid it just won’t be any fun. Despite our best intentions, when we don’t learn about one another’s perspectives and find ways to encourage everyone’s voice, diversity suffers. In this highly interactive workshop, you’ll learn to use organic opportunities and campus programming to develop real connections that prompt meaningful diversity in campus leadership.
Conflict resolution, avoidance and appreciation!
Kimberly’s been teaching groups about facilitation and conflict resolution for more than twenty years. In this highly interactive workshop, participants will learn how to avoid conflict when possible, embrace it when it comes, and gracefully resolve conflict when necessary. Conflict is an opportunity for change, after all. Learn to use conflict as a tool to bring your groups together, rather than drive them apart.
Writing and Performing Spoken Word
During this course, individuals will learn about various forms of writing for performance, including the hugely popular genre of slam poetry. Participants will write AND perform during the workshop; the focus is on writing for listener, rather than the reader. Throughout the day, participants will do "writing practice" on various themes that will yield material for a final brief performance in the afternoon. Participants will learn about the elements of performance story-telling (primarily rhythm, movement, repetition and story-progression). Through fun activities and a supportive setting, even those who have never read their writing aloud will have a positive experience. (Maximum: 20 participants; workshop can be 6 hours in duration including public student performances)
Courage in creative writing
Writing in the first person (using "I") can feel very vulnerable and self-revealing. This type of writing is sometimes called autobiography, memoir or autoethnography. This workshop explores the power of first person story-telling and participants will practice writing in the first person. Participants will learn the nuances of telling enough of the story - and knowing when to stop! Kimberly will also help participants understand how to use personal stories to write about broader themes. As she often says "Every story is about me, but I am not the subject." Participants will leave the workshop with greater courage and skill at storytelling in the first person and will have started a few different stories for completion at home.
Getting Started With the Writing Life
Participants will explore the writing life through activities and writing exercises designed to subdue inner critics and allow friendship with the writer within. Through brief guided meditation and fun activities, participants will get to know each other and themselves as writers and leave with the tools to begin the writing life. (Available as a two hour or four hour workshop.)
Performance Programs
The difference between Kimberly's lectures and her performances is only this: during a lecture, the themes are overt and include detailed analysis and contextual information. The humor, interaction, scandal and fun? Still intact.
Becoming the Subject of Your Own Story - Rather Than the Object of Another's Gaze!
This spoken word performance uses humor and first-person storytelling to uncover the various ways that women (and men) cheat the world of their fabulous human potential by focusing too often on appearance, sweetness and popularity, rather than living full lives. The show does not preach or instruct. Rather audience members discover their own empowerment through Kimberly's funny and personal tales. Dark also offers five suggestions that can help anyone develop greater personal sovereignty and start becoming a more vibrant participant in life.
"The audience seemed to relate to Dark's stories with enthusiastic laughter and inspired statements. Dark incorporated the crowd's comments and questions during the performance itself and during the question and answer period... She creates spaces for conversations to happen..." -The Athenaeum, Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Complicated Courtesies
Have you learned to embrace your own complexities? We all have them: aspects of our personalities that we don’t bring out in every kind of company. Do you handle your various “selves” with panache and profundity? Or do you try to pretend you’re only what you show a certain audience?
Come explore how to become a courteous chimera — the kind of multi-faceted, fantastical creature that has many fearsome and fantastic features and yet, remains friendly to all. Who knows, if we learn to embrace our inner diversity — maybe loving the diversity in others won’t be so hard…
Dykeotomy
This award-winning performance is a comic-erotic-drama for adult audiences only. Dykeotomy is a funny, touching and erotic game of gender dodge ball!
This is a performance for everyone who has gender – examined or not. In Dykeotomy, Dark narrates a tale of modern gender confusion – this time from the perspective of the gender-normative female lover. What does sexual orientation mean when gender shifts? What did it ever mean in the context of masculine lives in female-sexed bodies? Dark’s hilarious interactions with the audience regarding her confusion with dating are interspersed with her signature poetic stories — tightly crafted, highly moving social snapshots.
Dykeotomy was an Intercultural Dialogue Award finalist at the 2010 International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. Curve Magazine names Dykeotomy one of the top 10 LGBT theater productions of 2009.
"Is that a Dude?" Lesbian Gendering: There's More To It Than You Think!
Have you ever stared, trying to figure out if someone is male or female? Have you ever wondered why we care so much? This lecture/performance explores "lesbian gender" in the context of cultural misogyny and systems of oppression and discrimination. In the process, she also explores the bigger picture of privilege and oppression (based on race, class, gender, etc.) As engaging for primarily heterosexual audiences as for queer audiences, Kimberly Dark argues against the reign of duality in American culture. Yes, the "gender freakout" can be humorous — and tragic, but above all, instructive as we work to create richer, fuller lives and more inclusive social systems.
Slam Poetry
If there's not already a vibrant poetry slam community in your city, take the opportunity to sample the event during Kimberly's visit. In addition to performing her own work, she can also emcee a poetry slam or evening of performance poetry for your community or campus. The event can include a preparatory workshop if you choose, or have a specific focus (women's lives, queer issues, disability, etc.). This type of event allows for locals to be exposed to and learn the skills of performance/slam poetry so that they can create future events. And, with issue-specific slams, locals have the opportunity to be the performers of their own lives, while providing an entertaining and thought-provoking event for a broader audience.
Stripped and Teased: Scandalous Stories with Subversive Subplots
In this award-winning solo performance, Kimberly continues to challenge the audience's concepts of sex and gender roles via smart and vibrant storytelling, passionate poetry and intimate audience interaction. More like "stand-up storytelling" than a traditional theatre show, the audience will laugh, think and be amazed than an evening of theatre can be so intimate, thought provoking and entertaining all at the same time.
"Dark's Stripped and Teased is a wild romp through the issues of gender (in)equity and of (un)fettered sexuality, body image and the social construction of gender, and the economics of being female. Using women who work as strippers as a unifying theme throughout the show, Dark brilliantly illuminates how stereotypical views of femininity are not just ridiculous, but ultimately harmful to us all." -Hawaii Island Journal
Kimberly Dark continues to work tirelessly on her abilities as a parent, poet, professor and raconteur who can unfold the world through performance, smooth out the crinkles from folding, read the legend and say "You Are Here." Someday she will even be able to refold the world and fit it back into the glove-box. Kimberly travels far and wide performing stories that make people laugh, think and feel. She wins theatre awards, smiles when seeing her stories in print, enjoys standing ovations and endures days when settling down to a more regular life seems more sensible. Such is the glamorous life of a pop-sociologist who wants to expand conversations about gender, race and class beyond the university so that we all take up the charge of creating a more just world. Kimberly has performed in dozens of fancy theatres and esteemed classrooms, but she also loves a stage where there’s nothing swanky – just the body, the voice, the word and the audience. Just be sure to bring up the house-lights because this isn’t a traditional theatre show – she really is talking to YOU.
Kimberly's writing and performances have delighted and incited audiences at theaters and universities across North America and Europe for more than a decade. She teaches sociology at Cal State San Marcos as much as her schedule allows. Her work blends humor, poetry, story-telling, and audience interaction to remind all of us that we are creating the world – even as it creates us!
Save Money and Build Community with a multiple day visit!
A three day visit can save you money, reduce the environmental impact of your programming and ensure greater impact for your programming. These are some popular three day packages that include Kimberly’s amazing teaching and facilitation skills. Contact us to discuss your specific needs.
Option A: Teach the Students Become the Show
Day One: Begin with the Performance of your choice
Day Two: Workshop on Spoken Word Performance
Day Three: Student Poetry Slam or Open Mic with Kimberly as emcee and “feature reader” and students as the stars of the show!
Option B: Learn to Move Audiences on Important Issues
Day One: Begin with the Performance of your choice
Day Two: Workshop on Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed or Artistic Activism
Day Three: Individual mentoring meetings with student groups (i.e. Women’s Programming, GLBT groups, etc.) or additional classroom visits
Option C: You Can Make More Art – And Make a Living!
Day One: Begin with the Performance of your choice
Day Two: Workshop on Minding the Business of the Artist (this offering is appropriate for theatre, performance studies, writing and visual arts departments)
Day Three: Individual mentoring meetings with students on writing and performance work (i.e. Performance Studies/Theatre)
Option D: Increase Learning and Leadership Diversity While Having Fun
Day One: Gender, Race and Money Lecture
Day Two: Workshop on Popular Education: Tools for Community Engagement or Social Science and Performance: Blurring the Boundaries for Greater Impact
Day Three: Facilitated Planning to increase Leadership Diversity on your campus
If you’re interested in exploring the environmental impact of your campus programming, take advantage of Kimberly’s offer to facilitate a meeting (up to 2 hours) on this theme. This add-on is FREE for 2009/10 – because she cares about healing the planet as much as you do…
"Gender, Race, and Money"
Kimberly Dark continues to work tirelessly on her abilities as a parent, poet, professor and raconteur who can unfold the world through performance, smooth out the crinkles from folding, read the legend and say "You Are Here." Someday she will even be able to refold the world and fit it back into the glove-box. Kimberly travels far and wide performing stories that make people laugh, think and feel. She wins theatre awards, smiles when seeing her stories in print, enjoys standing ovations and endures days when settling down to a more regular life seems more sensible. Such is the glamorous life of a pop-sociologist who wants to expand conversations about gender, race and class beyond the university so that we all take up the charge of creating a more just world. Kimberly has performed in dozens of fancy theatres and esteemed classrooms, but she also loves a stage where there’s nothing swanky – just the body, the voice, the word and the audience. Just be sure to bring up the house-lights because this isn’t a traditional theatre show – she really is talking to YOU.
