photo by john w. sisson

The Coming Out Stage… 

live performance & video, 2008

The Coming Out Stage…addresses the topic of construction of gender identity through feminine rituals in a visual essay of the quinceanera ceremony in the Hispanic community and the debutante ball in the southern United States. The performance draws from documentary and theater methodology using reenacted interviews, video and live actions. The Coming Out Stage… was developed under the Incubate Artist Residency at the Chicago Cultural Center, in collaboration with Amanda Guitierrez. The project was awarded a CAAP Grant by the Illinois Arts Council in 2008.

The Coming Out Stage… was presented at the IN<TIME Performance Series in Chicago, Centro Multimedia in Mexico City, and the BFA Time Arts Festival at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Link to documentary photographs of project by John W. Sisson