Salon Sessions make their 2008 debut

Gender-bending lecture and trapeze artists gets 2008 Salon Sessions off to a high-flying start

HIGHLAND LAKE, NY — Featured at this month’s Salon Session on Friday, January 25 will be Dr. Mimi McGurl with “A Delightful Lecture on Cross-Dressing and Gender Bending” throughout theatre history. The evening, which starts at 7:30 p.m., will also feature special guests Lollo Brigitta, a gender-bender trapeze act from Brooklyn.

McGurl, a resident of Cochecton Center, holds a, MFA in Directing from the University of California, Irvine and a Ph.D. in Drama from Stanford University. Her dissertation “S/he’s Her Own Man” examines women playing men’s parts on the theatrical stage. She has taught at New York University, Mills College and the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Her essays have been published in Theater (Yale UP) and in Opposite Sex (NYU Press). In addition to her academic work, McGurl has directed numerous plays including “Possible Worlds” ( OOBR Award), “Hedda Gabler” and “Tea and Sympathy.”

Salon Sessions is an eclectic monthly series that features artists and thinkers from the local community. It takes place, once a month, in the intimate lounge at NACL. The cost is $5 at the door, and free for NACL members.

Salon Sessions are sponsored in part by Sullivan County Arts and Heritage.