Pope Joan
Performed by the Women's Circus
Directed by Sarah Cathcart
At the Old Police Garage, Russell Street, Melbourne
Thurs-Sat, 8.30pm, until December 6
Reviewed by Bronwen Beechey
The Women's Circus began as a project for women survivors of sexual abuse to overcome their negative body image by learning circus skills in a safe, supportive and non-competitive environment. It now involves more than 120 women, who participate from its base at the Footscray Community Arts Centre. There is a waiting list of more than 100 women waiting to join.
The Women's Circus continues to prioritise survivors of sexual abuse, women over 40 and women from non-English speaking backgrounds.
Since it was formed seven years ago, the Women's Circus has developed an international reputation for its innovative and high-quality performances. It has undergone some changes in the past year with the arrival of new director Sarah Cathcart, an acclaimed solo performer whose work includes Walking on Sticks and Tiger Country.
Cathcart's influence can be seen clearly in Pope Joan, which adds a more theatrical dimension to the group's traditional circus skills. The increased confidence of the performers is also shown in the discarding of the circus's trademark white-face make-up.
Pope Joan examines the role of women in religion. Pope Joan is claimed to have been the first (and only) female pope. Living disguised as a man, she was stoned to death after giving birth during a papal procession in 865 AD. Although documented in several historical records, her existence is still debated.
The circus recreates the story of her life, interspersed with the women's childhood experiences of church, God and nuns.
"I was drawn to the idea of nuns because, like the circus, they are a company of women choosing to pursue an alternative", says Cathcart.
"Although our agendas are quite different, nuns, in one sense, were the forerunners of the women's movement, providing opportunities for education for women as far back as 1500 years ago and, in more recent history, running schools and hospitals at a time when women weren't doing those things."
Pope Joan uses the example of the convent of St Brigid in Ireland, founded in 50 AD, to suggest that the early Catholic Church gave women an alternative to marriage and child rearing, and allowed them to be strong and self-sufficient.
But the patriarchal takeover of the church forced nuns to be subservient and promoted the idea of women as the source of evil, a view that found its ultimate expression in the witch-burnings and torture that continued through the Middle Ages. It ends with the current debate about the role of women in the church, suggesting that 1000 years after Pope Joan supposedly lived, not much has changed.
Many women may find the view of Christianity expressed problematic. While it is true that many women were able, through the convent, to pursue learning and avoid an early death from frequent childbirth, this option was the only alternative available, and one open only to women of the nobility and the merchant class.
And when the male church hierarchy enforced its domination over the women of the church, it found ample justification in the texts of the Bible proclaiming women's inferiority.
It could also be argued that the struggle for women's equality in the church, while one that deserves support from all fair-minded people, is hardly the most pressing issue confronting women today.
These reservations aside, Pope Joan is definitely worth seeing. Its blending of acrobatics, aerials, aerobalance and fire with performance, dance and music provides an emotionally engaging, often humorous and powerful experience.
In a culture which promotes stereotyped and unhealthy standards of "beauty" for women, the sight of women of all shapes, sizes and ages who are strong and confident with their bodies is something that we all need.