We walked the streets like “New Yorkers” talking to everyone and at one point drove my truck from the West Village to the East Village on a rainy Friday at rush hour. I can now apply for a job as a NYC cab driver.
But I digress. The reason I was involved in the Fringe festival at all was because of Terry Baum a slightly world- renowned lesbian playwright from San Francisco who ran for Congress in 2004 and lived to write about it.
Baum for Peace
She wrote a play called Baum for Peace, which was her campaign slogan when she ran against Nancy Pelosi on the Green Party ticket. The play featured Baum and Scrumbly Koldewyn as her transvestite Piano-playing campaign manager. It was a musical comedy with bite. Scrumbly was the musical director. She also played Ilse the Green party member from Germany living in SF, who befriends Terry as she joins the Green Party. Terry joins because she has become disillusioned with the Democratic Party and “unrepresentative” Pelosi (of SF) who votes to stand behind the President as he invades Iraq.Terry laments to Ilse that the Green party needs to find someone to run against the powerful Senator. Ilse responds, "How about you?" Terry realizes she is a credible candidate and that she must run, or as she puts it, she’s ashamed not to run. Hence the story begins. Terry was terrific, as she and Ilse struggle to get her name on the ballot, reminding voters that not only do you have to write her name, but also you must connect the arrow in order for the vote to count. Because after all, just because somebody writes in your name, doesn’t mean they intend to vote for you!!
NYC Fringe Festival
Baum for Peace was submitted and accepted as one of 185 plays in the 11th NYC Fringe Festival which took place from Aug 10-26th in 19 venues throughout lover Manhattan. There were many plays about lesbian and gay life, politics, love, hate, Jewish culture, all cultures etc. The level of production was high, and women wrote quite a few.At one of our teasers, (a five minute short about the play) I was wearing a Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival t-shirt. A woman playwright came over to me and asked me if the festival is still happening. She was attractive and flirtations, but as the appointed company representative or ACR, I was responsible for talking to all potential producers, marketing the show and acting as the house manager. Flirting would have to take a back seat this time.
“BAUM BAUM BAUM” went the VOTERS!! Terry ended up receiving 2.9% of the votes as a write in Candidate for the Green Party, the most ever for a third party candidate in the history of this country. She is eager to bring her message to everyone, lesbian, gay, queer, straight. It’s time in 2008 for all of us to participate in Electoral College. We must save our country!
If you want more information about he play or would like to bring this to your university or city contact: baum4peace@yahoo.com
