Glue Factory Project takes a laugh-out-loud look at gender roles in ‘Six a Breast’
whose mothers broke the glass ceiling of sorts,” she says. “I am a product of that groundbreaking trajectory of women who said, ‘I’m not really interested in staying at home’ or ‘I don’t want to just throw cocktail parties for my spouse’s colleagues.’ ”
This isn’t the first time she’s turned to dance theater to dissect the expectations society puts upon women and men. Last year, she questioned who gets to determine gender roles — and at what cost — in “Right of Way,” a collaboration with veteran drag artist Jezebel Bebbington, who transitioned to female with hormones about a decade ago.
She’s also poked at the house-with-apicket-fence bubble of Dick and Jane elementary readers and “Leave It to Beaver” sorts of family stereotypes in “At Once There Was a House.”
This time, though, she’s scrapping these layers of rich references, known to keep audiences questioning what they saw long after they’ve left the theater, in exchange for giving it to us straight and simple.
She owes her inspiration for this refreshed, swift-paced format to “knock knock” skits from the comedy show “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” from the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.
“I remember as a kid, [the skits] were so fast. You would look at things and go ‘Why was that funny?’ or ‘Why was that touching?’ or ‘Why was that puzzling?’ I want to do that,” Ms. Corning says. “I want to get down to the essence. When the point’s made, stop.”
Before the show, people can listen to women pontificate about jeers and joys of womanhood in the New Hazlett lobby. This portion has been dubbed “The Bare Arm Series,” a nod to the recent criticisms surrounding Congress’ dress code that doesn’t permit women to wear sleeveless dresses.
But you don’t have to be a woman to take something away from “Six a Breast,” Ms. Corning says.
“I just hope that whoever comes to see the work feels that the hour of time they’ve invested in coming to the theater puts them in another place for a moment. This one will make you laugh.”