Boycott, New Solo Play About Re-Making Lysistrata, Begins Oct. 11 in NYC

By Kenneth Jones
October 2, 2007

Activist-performer Kathryn Blume's The Boycott, inspired by the ancient anti-war comedy Lysistrata, will play New York City's Arclight Theater Oct. 11-Nov. 18.

Mighty Ruckus presents the solo play, which according to the troupe, "tells the story of Kathryn Blume, a woman trying to fight global warming and save the world — by telling the story of Lyssa Stratton, the First Lady of the United States launching a national sex strike to fight global warming and save the world. As The Boycott progresses, the story of Kathryn, trying to keep her emotional head above the waters of gloom and doom and create a piece of theatre which will make a difference, interweaves with the story of Lyssa, who has to take on her indifferent husband, a hostile press, and a romantic rival who's not only in bed with the President, but with the darkest powers of the oil industry. Aided by her impassioned daughter, a high tech Secret Service agent, and a plucky Brazilian tree frog she meets on the Astral Plane, Lyssa bumps and lurches her way into an unexpected, wildly comic, and ultimately successful campaign."

Kathryn — with the help of friends, the extended DVD of "The Lord of the Rings," and "significant quantities of dark chocolate (organic and fair trade, of course)" — manages to complete her tale and "find a bright flame of hope for herself, for her audience, and for the future of the world."

Kathryn Blume is co-founder of The Lysistrata Project, a worldwide theatrical event where 59 countries hosted 1,029 readings of Aristophanes' play to protest the Iraq War. She has toured The Accidental Activist — her critically acclaimed one-woman show about The Lysistrata Project — to more than 30 cities in the U.S. and Canada. Off-Broadway credits include appearances at the Pearl Theater, Playwrights Horizons, The New 42nd Street Theater and the Greenwich Street Theater. Her political essays have been published in numerous books, including "MoveOn.org's 50 Ways To Love Your Country" and "365 Ways to Change the World."

Director Jason Jacobs is co-artistic director of Theatre Askew, where he staged the critically acclaimed Bald Diva!, I Claudius, Live! and the recent I Google Myself by Jason Schafer. He also directed Kathryn Blume in The Accidental Activist, and directed and co-wrote Vanya/Vermont for Vermont Stage Company.

In keeping with the theme of The Boycott, a $1.50 fee will be added to the price of each ticket to help offset the carbon emissions from the show. This fee will go to Native Energy, a privately held Native American energy company. For more about the company visit www.nativeenergy.com.

The performance schedule will be Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased by calling (866)811-4111 or online at www.theboycottplay.com.

The intimate Arclight Theater is located at 132 West 71st Street, between Broadway and Columbus.