February 25, 2005

After 30 years, Variety Show still brings women together

by Anna Giangrande

Cleveland--For the thirtieth year in a row, relationships started and relationships ended at the annual Womyn�s Variety Show on February 19.

Well, at least that was the running joke of the evening.

Oven Productions� women-only show got its start in 1975. The diverse crowd of women at Cleveland Grays Armory last weekend mingled around the room and visited the vendors and community groups present. These included the Cleveland Lesbian-Gay Center, who had representatives moving throughout the room handing out safer sex packets and lists of workshops. A group from the Michigan Womyn�s Music Festival made a video presentation for their thirtieth anniversary, which is also this year.

The show itself was a multifarious panoply of entertainment. The performances varied from hilarious skits to songs, dancing and some spoken word. The acts were separated with comedy. The audience seemed to really love Dawn, the interpreter for the hearing impaired.

The show started with a group of women lip-synching and dancing, a really good way to get energy flowing in the room. There were many entertaining acts on that stage, including Jane Tobias playing �Kansas City� on her keyboard. Tobias was working that keyboard harder than Tori Amos on a hot summer�s night. Slack Jaw performed �Look at Miss Ohio,� and the audience wanted them to sing another song even before the first was finished. The empowering finale was a group performing to �Amazon Women.�

The energy brought up in the room gave everyone a feeling of empowerment, freedom and rejuvenation.

After the show, the dancing commenced. The evening was a really great way to make some new friends and feel connected to the community.

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