Fest Fast Facts

1. Was there a female pope? According to legend, a woman – disguised as a man – rose to the papacy in the 9th century. A prominent scholar, she was elected as Pope John VIII between Pope Leo IV and Benedict III. Believers in her existence cite chronicles of her life that started as early as 1250 AD, numerous works of arts portraying her image, and a bust of Pope Joan was featured in Siena Cathedra until 1601 when Pope Clement VIII issued a decree – after intense pressure from anti-polemicists – promulgating The Female Pope a myth. Subsequently, an artist was commissioned to change the face of the bust from Pope Joan to Pope Zacharia. Whether or not The Female Pope existed is no longer the pertinent question but –why the vociferous push back against the notion of a women in the most powerful position in world history? By giving voice to a strong female character who was “erased” by a patriarchal institution, our musical aims to impact social and political discourse surrounding gender roles and institutionalized power, forcing skepticism of accepted histories. With renewed attempts to ban books, censor educators, and the successful rollback of women’s bodily rights, a revisionist history such as Pope Joan is pertinent to our times.
2. Why is the musical mostly sung through (with small exceptions)? A character crosses over from dialogue into song when the emotions are too great for mere spoken word. Our piece is almost entirely sung through because the stakes are so high that this story can only truly live inside an aural environment. This musical strives to bridge the gap between science and spirituality; utilizing tonal sounds encased in letters to connect the soul with the intellect.
3. Why is the cast comprised of women? In honor of Joan’s rebellion against gender roles, the cast should be comprised of women. To further clarify, all persons (apart from cis men) who see themselves in any of the characters should be considered. In accordance with the World Soul, the concept first created in Plato’s Timeaus and later adopted by Catholic scholars, which believes we are all one, the cast should be racially and ethnically diverse and representative of all.
4. What does this show mean to me personally, as the writer? For hundreds of years, perhaps thousands, women have been disguising themselves as men to achieve basic human rights. The right to go outside by oneself. The right to an education. The right to hold a job. One of the pivotal dramaturgical questions I had when I began this journey —why did Joan disguise herself as a man? What was the catalyst? —sent me on a research scavenger hunt until I ran across an article about a tradition still practiced today in parts of the middle east where families disguise their daughters as sons. This happens for a variety of reasons: income (as only men can work), shame of having too many daughters, but for some parents, they just want basic human rights for their daughters. I am a registered nurse who works in women’s health, specializing in lactation in both Well Baby and NICU. As politicians wedge themselves between a woman and her healthcare team, the catastrophic effects ripple through and touch not only the patients and their families, but all of us who care for this population. My work, be it professional or artistic, lives to counter the marginalization of women and their families.
5. What could the future look like for The Female Pope?> The Female Pope is a meditative folk-rock musical that breaks conventional form in ways that will bring new audiences to the genre. Heather’s unique score is haunting, with a liturgical, spiritual sound and modern twists that draws young people in. Written for a diverse ensemble of women, the piece breaks traditional gender roles and encourages the audience to do the same. The Female Pope is conceived to be flexible and adaptable to any space. We envision it to be equally suitable in a modest-sized black-box to a thousand seat theater. The interpretations of the projections in the script will be left to the discretion of the creative team, but I envisioned the projections to be like frescos in the Sistine Chapel; A stark white canvas enveloping the ceiling, magically morphing into the endless night sky. Engaging visuals will aid the audience in grasping the complex mathematical and astrological concepts of the times.