"Obsidienne Obsurd is not your typical drag performer, and, in a one-night only performance this weekend, they will showcase their avant-garde artistry in a production that is two years in the making. Their upcoming show, titled "The Last 7 Days of Obsidienne Obsurd" will be held at the Calvin Simmons Theatre, inside the recently renovated Oakland's Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts. The show delves into Obsidienne's gender transition, the mental health and financial struggles that came with that decision, and the family dynamics at play with their parents and Obsidienne's identity as a classical musician."
"Obsidienne - whose real name is Ezra Costanza - is a Chinese American genderless performer and classically trained violist who got their start in drag during the pandemic, when artists had to move their shows online. One of their first performances of the song "I don't want to fight" by the band Alabama Shakes paid homage to the Black Lives Matter movement that erupted in the summer of 2020. Their work intertwines their cultural identity, their life as a classical musician, and their drag identity. They use cultural elements, such as Beijing Opera masks, as inspiration for their intricate black-and-white face painting with a pop of color."
Obsidienne Obsurd is a Chinese American genderless performer and classically trained violist who began doing drag during the pandemic. The one-night show "The Last 7 Days of Obsidienne Obsurd" at the Calvin Simmons Theatre represents two years of work. The production examines gender transition, mental-health and financial struggles, family dynamics, and identity as a classical musician. Visual design draws on Beijing Opera masks and intricate black-and-white face painting with a pop of color. Early work included a rendition of "I don't want to fight" honoring Black Lives Matter. Obsidienne is artist-in-residence at Oaklash and assembled collaborators who share similar aims to build a singular, undefined medium.
Read at The Oaklandside
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