Water Street Studios Live Art Series to feature 'Daughters of Ire'

Water Street Studios' Live Art Series presents "Daughters of Ire," written and performed by Savanna Rae. The performance will be Friday, Aug. 25. Doors open at 6 p.m. in the Dempsey Family Gallery, 160 S. Water St. in Batavia.

There is a $5 suggested donation. There will be a cash bar. Beer will be provided by Solemn Oath Brewery and wine provided by Bright Angel Wines. A special thanks to the event sponsor: K. Hollis Jewelers.

It is a monthly live art performance exploring a variety of art forms including music, film, dance, storytelling, and more. The series is made possible by a grant from the Batavia Arts Council.

"The Daughters of Ire" is a one-woman show written and performed by Savanna Rae from The Other Theatre Co.

Wesley James writes, "The play is rapid, engaging, and bold. Daughters has the power to affect change - and seeing it is an experience filled with so much heart and passion that it truly could guide the next several thousand years in a brighter direction. See it early, and see it soon - as you will surely want to see it again."

Justin Hayford writes, "(Savanna Rae) pulls sagas from Ireland's medieval-era Ulster Cycle that mostly focus on headstrong, militant women … to cunningly illustrate our culture's prurient fascination with stories of women and violence - so long as women remain victims. Rae, herself a headstrong presence, reworks the stories' corrupted, excised details, turning female victims into progressive agents. The 75-minute piece vacillates between bold poetic vision and cursory graduate thesis, and often Rae is so eager to make points she leaves her audience little room for discovery. But she's a mesmerizing dynamo with the kind of feminist passion sorely lacking from local stages."

Water Street Studios is a 501(c)3 nonprofit art center in Batavia. Its mission is to make the arts accessible to the Fox Valley region and beyond. Its vision is to be a cultural hub in the Midwest. Stop by Water Street Studios or visit www.waterstreetstudios.org.