There’s something almost punk rock about performance art and
poetry — outside academic circles, both art forms exist at the edge of the art
world, often at the fringe of the fringe. The women of Ripe and Ready might
bristle at the punk comparison but it is in that do-it-yourself spirit that
they have combined performance art and poetry with surprising results.
Formed in the spring of 1996, the Ripe and Ready ensemble create complete
sensual immersions which, although grounded firmly in words, add elements of
theatre, music, dance, and multimedia. They have thus far staged three
productions at Hyde Park Theater and appeared at last November’s Austin Free
Poetry Festival. While these performances have included up to 19 people, the
core group is its founders: Barbara Carr, Patricia Fiske, Christina Sergeyevna,
Sharon Stuart, and Suzanne Vance. Newest member Constance Campbell, who has a
degree in directing and is also a poet, joined in the summer of 1996 as the
group’s director, while Dr. Lynne Weiss, also a founding member, departed early
this year.
At a March 16 performance, Ripe and Ready showcased the range of the group’s
influences and interests. Carr, for example, joined local denizen Herman Nelson
in reciting Native American-influenced poetry while accompanied by a troupe of
Native dancers. Vance appeared as an albino prostitute in Mississippi, while
Stuart recited a piece about personal luminescence. Fiske contributed a
gender-switched version of Orwell’s 1984 performed by Sue Bilich and
Gina Mears, and guest Mick D’Arcy performed a series of ceremonies. In the
second half, Carr and Nelson, in addition to their original poetry, invited a
series of guests to read with them and the dancers.
Vance described the sextet as “mainly a group of friends going to open mikes”
who wanted to do something more. “We really strive to use performance art
techniques,” she says. “With all the props and all, it’s a drama thing, but
also what they call performance art. I consider myself a performance artist as
well as a poet.”
Fiske describes attending a performance at the Ruta Maya coffeehouse as an
example of what Ripe and Ready would emphatically not do. “They had a light
onstage behind the people; you could not see the faces of the performers, and
you couldn’t hear them. I thought, `This is ridiculous.’ Having a background in
theatre, it just seemed natural to take it into a theatre and put some lights
on people and make sure they were able to be heard.”
Each member draws from her own specializations to create a niche within the
group. Carr, for example, is a professional piano entertainer and has performed
with such ensembles as the River City Girls. Consequently, she creates the
original music for the shows. Fiske and Campbell, with their backgrounds in
theatre, take care of dramaturgical concerns. Sergeyevna, described by her
colleagues as “one of the most published poets in Austin,” has a knack for
marketing and networking. Vance and Stuart are so committed to the format that
they are taking acting lessons from local teacher C.K. McFarland. The symbiosis
pays off; the Hyde Park shows were sold out, the group reports, and they
commanded a sizeable crowd for an hour at the Austin Free Poetry Festival.
“We’re all communicators, and we’re all attracted to theatre because we
communicate. We’re not cerebral poets, so people don’t have to do guessing
games about our poetry.” Vance believes that “the common man who hates poetry
relates to us.”
Equally diverse are the approaches the women take to their subject matter.
Carr celebrates mystical topics and earth magic, while Vance writes modern
folklore about her experiences growing up in Mississippi. Fiske, by contrast,
centers a great deal of her work on issues of therapy and recovery. “I would
describe what I’ve heard from people as `heart work,'” Campbell says. “Whether
it’s about Barton Springs or a friend, there’s a ring of truth to it, and I
think a lot of people relate to that. They’re not putting on words; it’s very
direct.” Carr adds, “We have what we call planned spontaneity. If we’re going
to do our round-robins, we do an area like aging, or sin, or romance, so we’re
all doing things in the same vein.”
Thus far, each show has been conceived of by one member; Vance oversaw the
debut performance, which included Carr jamming with didgeridoo player Bob Mud,
Sergeyevna accompanying her text with slides, and Fiske and Weiss collaborating
with dancers. “One of us will say, `This is the program I’d like to put
together,’ and if they want to do it first it’s like, `Yeah! Yeah! Go ahead!'”
Vance says. Yet the members engage in regular brainstorming sessions and say a
collaborative effort is in the near future.
While Fiske says that her original conception of Ripe and Ready was as a
women-only group, men are welcome to participate. All point to poets Byron
Kocen and John Smith as particularly supportive guests.
Ripe and Ready have no plans to be constantly out and about on the town; they
have only the upcoming Austin International Poetry Festival and a Hyde Park
Theater gig in August planned for the rest of the year. They say, however, that
they are looking at additional locations, and focusing on quality over
quantity. As obvious as that may seem, it is also evident in the work. As Vance
says, “I don’t think there would ever be women’s competitiveness or jealousy,
because we’re all so different. And we love each other for that.” — Ken
Hunt
This article appears in March 28 • 1997 and March 28 • 1997 (Cover).