Ugly Sisters ★★★★★

Ugly Sisters is feminist Performance art which forces a rethink on the leader of the ‘sisterhood’ Germaine Greer. On the day The Female Eunuch was issued in the US, a transwoman thanked Greer for all she had done ‘for us girls’. In 1989, Greer published ‘On Why Sex Change is A Lie’, in which she recounted that moment in different terms. Untapped-award winners Charli Cowgill and Laurie Ward have created a retelling of this story through visual, artistic, metatheatrical, absurd and experimental performance art.

Backdropped by quotes from the 1989 article and historical context about this monumental moment in history, the audience are initially presented a caricature drag tableaux of the woman in question who was disrespected by Greer and Greer herself in some sort of battle. What then ensues from this moment is a fever dream of hallucinatory, lucid scenes in which Greer is interrogated for this betrayal of the trans community and blatant transphobia in this article. The piece moves from a monstrous image of a Transwoman, the woman who grabbed Greer’s hand and said thank you so much for all you have done for us girls” and who is later disrespected and insulted for “its” “flapping draperies”, makeup and sheer audacity to thank her for a monumental moment in female history, to women painfully emerging from the layers of societal views and being built up by female solidarity and
acceptance.

The performers have incredible stamina, endurance and bravery to tell this story so frankly on stage, punctuating changeability of bodies through drag, contemporary dance and writhing around in dirt, with deep heartfelt dialogue that provides a voice to the woman diminished to an ‘it’ by Greer in the article. Bringing a new meaning to woman and sisterhood, it is both beautiful and hard to watch at the same time, with no comfort of
narrative. This is a gloriously messy, stressful and thought-provoking hour of performance art.

piss/CARNATION have created a theatrical, political and humorous purge. This piece feels cathartic for the actors and as much as it is entertaining for the audience, it challenges them to think of a new future for the sisterhood and how womanhood can exist with agency.