Political Performance Art Lab (anti-fascism focus)
Create an original performance with a political impact.
With Melina Gaze
Join us in this six-week series to work on an original performance piece (think cabaret, drag, multimedia, lecture performance, or something entirely different) and workshop it with other performers. In each session, we’ll work on different elements of your act (concept, text, voice, movement, etc.), and you’ll get feedback from the other participants. At the end of the series, we’ll have a work-in-progress showing for the 90mil community. Imagine it like a performance support group with gentle deadlines and a final show where you can try out your ideas in front of an audience. We want to use performance as a method to motivate our own research and action, think boldly about more just futures, and be fucking loud about it. We are living through the unbridled rise of transnational fascist movements, genocide apologism, and attacks on the lives and rights of migrants, poor and working-class people, bipoc people, queer and trans people, climate and earth defenders, disabled people, and sex workers. We’re interested in projects that expose, satirize, and grieve. Those that radically reimagine possible presents and futures, celebrate successful resistance movements, and find connections between ideas that will strengthen our toolkit for strategic resistance. How to apply: - Please fill out this interest form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. We accept people on a rolling basis (the sooner you submit the better!) - Don’t worry about submitting something perfect; errors and brevity encouraged - If you cant open cryptpad, try from a incognito window - If you still can’t open, email melina[at]vulgar.mx Please note: The session on Thursday October 8th is a 1h Zoom intro & orientation. The final performance will be part of the Art School Showcase on Friday November 20th. Photos from Pilsen Performance Art Lab (2025) hosted by Mama Pipe and Melina Gaze; photo credit: Elaine Suzanne Miller
- Dates
- Wed 14 Oct, Wed 21 Oct, Wed 28 Oct, Wed 4 Nov, Wed 11 Nov, Wed 18 Nov
- Time
- 18:00–21:00
- Cost
- €50-150 (+ €5 membership fee for new members)
- Attendance type
- You should attend the full course
- Desired audience
- The project is intended for people who are interested in using performance to deepen their political thinking, practice, and action. We welcome people affected by and concerned about the rise of fascism and those who want to build a supportive space of co-creation. Priority given to refugees and immigrants, poor and working-class people, bipoc people, queer and trans people, climate and earth defenders, disabled people, sex workers. We can offer reduced pricing for people who request it in the Cryptpad form below. This is an unapologetically pro-Palestine space.
- What should I bring?
- This series is for anyone ready to workshop an idea for a 3-7 mins performance piece. Amateur and experienced performers welcome. Just bring your idea, and we’ll support each other to build it into an act. We encourage participants to arrive with an idea of what they want to do.
- Class type
- Theatre, Activism, Performance
- Space
- Theatre
About the artist
Hi, I’m Melina (they/them), a performance artist, community organizer, and researcher. I have worked with grassroots collectives around themes of sexuality and gender as well as migration justice in the US and Mexico. My performance background is in freaky cabaret, burlesque, and co-organizing lots of DIY shows.
Instagram: @melina.gaze// @vulgar.mx Portfolio (not for public sharing): https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ziMw1vyMIBoG2_--gOMkAZeU3gdcL1I9S7hLt08Qrlw/edit?usp=sharing // www.vulgar.mx //
Accessibility
We have some resources to provide a greatly reduced participation fee and/or solidarity spots. We may also be able to offer a childcare stipend if you are a parent and need to find care for your child in order to attend. Please fill out the application form to help us learn a little more about you and allocate these resources. 90mil is wheelchair accessible. Please see the yellow section below for more on accessibility.
Sliding scale
We use a sliding scale to make courses as affordable as possible. Here’s how to use it: Lower end: You don’t have a stable income. Mid range: You have a less stable financial situation and are more selective about where you spend your money. Higher end: You experience relative financial stability. Solidarity spot: You’re experiencing financial precarity and wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford to come to a workshop.