she: bike/spoke/love

caught the last performance of tammy gomez's play "she: bike/spoke/love" at the sanders theatre in the fort worth community arts center last night. the sanders is a cool, intimate space and the ideal location for the piece, which combined video, live and dj-spun music, spoken word and...bicycling. the story deals with a young bicyclista's struggle to achieve autonomy and interdependence with others against a backdrop of current events here in the fort, with political, magical and spiritual elements. some of the show's finest moments come when the cast and dj carlos juarez (aka DJ SOL*LOS) fill the space with vibrant movement and explosions of sound, but "she: bike/spoke/love" is most powerful when it explores the inner worlds of esa (dominique fay) and her mama (dina lee chavez), both of whom gave particularly strong performances -- a nice surprise in the case of fay, who's a first-time actor here. also fine were maria solano as esa's friend ella, ramsey sprague as esa's fantasy "perfect guy" el sabe, and cesar hernandez as homeless dude/sage basco. the company is looking for other opportunities to perform the piece in schools, theaters, parks, or wherever; interested parties should email sound_culture@hotmail.com.

ADDENDUM: i like the way ramsey's guitar is emblazoned "this machine kills fascists," just like woody guthrie's. and dylan's.