Genderbomb's Impact Play: "If You're Offended, Tell Your Friends"

"Produced by trans stage art ensemble Genderbomb, the new anthology showcase of shorts, staged at Performance Works, seemed to mean "caught in the middle of a play" quite literally at times. For example, before the show officially began on opening night, Genderbomb founder Hazel Andersen laid onstage covered in cut vegetables, hummus dips balanced carefully on either thigh. Attendees ventured forward to pluck crudités from the "human platter.""

"The ticket page we saw for Impact Play carried content warnings for sex, kink, nudity, violence, screams, simulated abuse, gore, and cannibalism. And to be honest, that was intriguing-but those warnings are easy to overlook, found only by clicking a small "more details" link. The printed program explained this was a work of "theater viscera... characterized by its use of full contact and real situations to provoke true responses from actors and audience alike."

"In Sara Fay Goldman's "Carve," the performer wobbled and writhed, wearing pumpkins and squash, which were bound in intricate rope configurations as stand-ins for genitalia. The audience cheered. And when performers Cassandra and Jack Ranger-AKA Assault and Pepper-invited an audience volunteer into the titular "impact play" of erotic hitting , they did so with intentionality and a playful sense of care."

Genderbomb produced Impact Play, an anthology of short performances at Performance Works. The program framed the work as art made for the moment. Pre-show interactions included founder Hazel Andersen lying onstage as a human platter, inviting attendees to take crudités. Sara Fay Goldman's Carve used pumpkins and squash bound in rope as stand-ins for genitalia, prompting cheers. Performers Cassandra and Jack Ranger (Assault and Pepper) invited a volunteer into an erotic impact play scene delivered with intentionality and care. Ticketing carried extensive content warnings that were easy to overlook; the printed program labeled the work "theater viscera." Additional program warnings listed fluids, choking, and sharp objects; disclosures would have been more effective if reinforced verbally.

Read at Portland Mercury