Homo File is loved by audiences. Last chance to catch a glimpse of “the Zelig of 20th Century homosexuality”.

Well the run has been amazing thus far with sell out houses and very enthusiastic audiences for both Homo File and FML. We got wonderful press coverage and  appeared in several blogs. Here are a few.

A fabulous article by Kimberly Chun in the SF Chronicle 96 hours

Really interesting article by Richard Dodds in the Bay Area Reporter

Stance on Dance is a really interesting interview blog by Dancer/Writer Emmaly Wiederholt

A lovely review by Rob Avila about Homo File says…”On the bill with FML is a work-in-progress performance of Homo File, writer-designer-director Seth Eisen’s multi-media and cross-disciplinary show. It already sports a formidable narrative arc and aesthetic vision as it explores the life of Samuel Steward (1909–1993), an amazingly well, um, connected English professor, writer of homoerotic fiction, famous tattoo artist, and sexual rebel. The 30-odd minutes of material on display delivers a strong sense of this fascinating figure (played by Ned Brauer, with occasional and evocative recourse to some aerial straps), who kept elaborate record of his astounding range of sexual conquests and liaisons in what he called his “stud files,” a concatenation that forms a backbone to the story of a life told from the vantage of final days. Meanwhile, Eisen and his winning cast place Steward in a mise-en-scène equally as promiscuous, ranging over dramatic scenes, aerial acrobatics, shadow puppetry, and even a hilariously lewd application of the old teacher’s standby, the overhead projector”. (Avila)

A beast in the Jungle has a really well written perspective on the shows.

On Thursday night Sept 27th we had an incredible turn out for the HOMO FILE SALON DISCUSSION at The Center For Sex and Culture, hosted by Dr. Carol Queen. I was honored to be on a panel about Sam Steward and Homo File with special guest Michael Williams, executor of the Samuel Steward estate. Michael was a dear friend of Steward for the last 10 years of his life and very instrumental in making his art and life’s work available to us so that we can get a glimpse of what Carol queen calls “the Zelig the 20th Century Homosexuality.”

We talked about

• The importance of queer elders pass on the lineage of our tradition to the younger generation
• Queer Alliances as a path to artistic freedom and personal evolution.
• Documentation and queer identity and how  Sam’s documentation helps us to get a glimpse of what it was like to be queer back in the pre-Stonewall days.
• Why Phil Andros books are important (Andros was Steward’s pseudonym for erotic fiction). Michael’s perspective on Sam and the artists of his milieu was enlightening.
• We Discussed the role of women in Sam’s life and that of Emmy Curtis his one and only long time female lover and dear friend. This is the role played by Elana Isaacs in the show.

All in all it was a great event with over 60 people in attendance.

The other amazing piece of that evening was the intimate conversation that the cast of Homo File had with Michael Williams in the dressing room after the show. He was really wonderful to us and filled with stories and tidbits about Sam which was a huge gift to us. It truly felt like the passing on of this really extraordinary lineage. I know it was a big gift to us. Here is a photo of Michael with our lead actor Ned Brauer who plays Sam Steward.

And lastly I want to share a very special photo of a few months ago taken my Director’s Assistant,Casey Collins who I am very grateful to for all of his support. These are the hands of the bunraku puppet of the old man Sam in the oven before being painted and added to the body. We have truly met our goal of making a really delicious Sam Stew.