Latest / philly has heART / GIRL DOLLS: The American Musical feat. Jackie Soro + @UnpleasantCompany feat. Morgan Cavalcanto + Paige Montes

Transcript

GIRL DOLLS: The American Musical feat. Jackie Soro + @UnpleasantCompany feat. Morgan Cavalcanto + Paige Montes · philly has heART

0:14
Hi, Robert. Hey, Lou. Hey, you. Yeah. We had
0:19
so much fun today at DaVinci Art Alliance fundraiser.
0:24
It's the DVAA -a -thon. It was so great. We went
0:30
into it a little bit raw. Did not know what to
0:33
expect exactly. But only great things. Only great
0:37
things. We were there kind of in between a couple
0:40
of the workshops that they're doing. And Da Vinci
0:42
Art Alliance is doing this 24 -hour fun of just
0:48
art and community and music that was going on.
0:54
There was a jazz brunch this morning. It's really
0:59
great to see the commitment of Sam and the team
1:03
over at Da Vinci Art Alliance to bring all of
1:09
their favorite peoples together to celebrate
1:12
them as well as raise the much needed dollars
1:15
to continue Da Vinci Art Alliance's work throughout
1:20
the year. Agreed. Several friends of the pod
1:23
have shown there in the one and a half years.
1:27
that we have been pushing content. We're looking
1:30
at you, Dominique, Vesna, Tanya Latour too, Kara
1:36
and Shinda. We caught into some other art this
1:40
week as well. We did. I ended up going to PAFA
1:43
on Thursday night for the Children's Scholarship
1:46
Fund celebration. It was their 25 years of giving
1:50
out scholarships as well as the celebration of
1:54
the 250th anniversary. Children's Scholarship
1:58
Fund is presenting their student art showcase
2:00
featuring works created by Children's Scholarship
2:03
Fund students across Philadelphia. The showcase
2:06
highlights student perspectives while celebrating
2:10
both the 250th anniversary and the 25 years of
2:14
Children's Scholarship Fund. It was great to
2:16
see the students' artwork on the path of walls.
2:20
I also got to see a little bit of... Nation of
2:24
Artists exhibit that was going on. And those
2:27
Middletons know how to collect some art. And
2:29
so a lot of their work was on the walls at PAFA
2:33
right now for everyone to enjoy. Fantastic. Yeah.
2:37
We have a crazy conversation today. Truly unhinged.
2:43
One of my favorites. I loved editing it and listening
2:47
back to it. I didn't want to cut anything. Throwback
2:51
nostalgia. Is about to hit you. So good. So let's
2:56
cut to the chase. Let's cut to the conversation.
2:59
Shall we? On to the conversation. Greetings.
3:15
This is Robert Marsh and you're listening to
3:17
Philly Has Heart Podcast. In this podcast, we
3:20
sit down with the artists, gallerists, educators,
3:23
curators, and other creatives who comprise the
3:25
Philadelphia art world to discuss upcoming performances,
3:28
exhibits, and other events and initiatives that
3:31
are not to be missed. The art scene in Philadelphia
3:34
is so rich that it can seem daunting. Consider
3:37
this your weekend cultural recommendation. With
3:40
me always is my producer, Lucinda Degerland.
3:43
Bonjour! And today we have Jackie Sorow. Morgan
3:47
and Paige. You didn't write anybody's last name
3:49
down. We don't need last names. And we're so
3:53
happy to have all three of you here today. And
3:57
we have other special guests. Does anyone want
4:00
to introduce our special guests? Sure. From left
4:04
to right. I mean, you can't see this. I have
4:06
my childhood Addie American Girl doll. I have
4:10
my mini -me alter ego, Iris. And Morgan, do you
4:14
want to introduce Sabrina? Yes, my custom Sabrina
4:16
Carpenter doll. Did someone give her plastic
4:18
surgery? She looks slightly different. They contoured
4:22
her nose. Yeah, her beat is crazy. Yeah. Yeah.
4:25
The contouring on the nose, the lips, the eye.
4:30
Did she do something to her butt? Oh, okay. I
4:35
was about to ask if she got a butt lift or something.
4:37
No, she's good. Okay, for those who are listening,
4:39
we are looking at three American Girl dolls.
4:43
And I realize as you went around and introduced
4:46
everyone, Robert, you didn't mention. Oh, well.
4:51
And that's why we're here. To talk about the
4:55
dolls. Today, Jackie Sorow is one of the mad
4:58
geniuses behind Girl Dolls, the American musical.
5:02
And we have with us also American Girl Doll.
5:06
Enthusiasts? Enthusiasts. I love that. Morgan
5:10
and Paige. Paige is the creator behind At Unpleasant
5:14
Company, and her partner also happens to be our
5:18
tech advisor. Many hats. Yes, yes. So, gang,
5:24
can we go around the table and say your names
5:26
so our listeners might better connect all of
5:29
your voices? I'm Paige. I'm Morgan. I'm Jackie.
5:34
So a little background. Lucinda and I were invited
5:37
to Girl Dolls, the American musical. She immediately
5:40
texted Paige and Morgan to ask if either of them
5:43
wanted to be her guests. But it was inevitable.
5:46
They already had their guests. So Lucinda convinced
5:50
me to go with her. And I convinced her to sit
5:53
in front and center. And I'm so glad that we
5:58
did. We laughed. We cried. I, however, did not
6:02
pee my pants on it. During dinner afterward,
6:05
I texted Morgan about how excited I was that
6:09
she still got to experience Girl Dolls, the American
6:12
musical, for the first time. Yes. It was unlike
6:17
anything I've seen lately in that it just felt
6:22
so pure and... I don't really go out in public
6:26
with her. Because I'm not, you're comfortable
6:30
with it. Morgan's pointing to her doll, not her
6:33
partner. Yes, Sabrina. I don't go out in public,
6:40
but I just felt accepting there, but also did
6:44
some reflecting as well. Because I grew up, clearly
6:48
I'm butch. I was not playing with dolls, funny
6:51
enough. So, yeah, I personally just really enjoyed
6:54
it, but... Oh, I loved it so much. What's your
6:57
take? I also cried and laughed a lot. I feel
7:00
like there was a lot of points where I was crying,
7:03
which was, like, but in the best way, and then
7:06
I forget what song you were doing, and then you're
7:09
just like, oh, catharsis. Yeah. And I was like,
7:12
yes, that is the word for it. And, oh, no, I
7:14
have so many things. The Addie song and, wait,
7:18
why didn't you choose Addie? Like, that whole
7:20
thing about... About seeing yourself in dolls
7:22
and the only option you have is the one who,
7:24
of course, has the, I mean, all historical American
7:27
girls have the trauma. But to be a slave and
7:30
just, oh, and then I could just relate to that.
7:34
Like, I'm not black, obviously, but finding a
7:37
doll that looks like you and a story that you
7:40
connect with, it wasn't something that I had
7:43
growing up. So I like that Samantha had brown
7:45
hair and that Addie had brown. Yeah, you just
7:49
reach for anything you can grasp onto. We're
7:51
like, oh, the brunettes. Yeah. Yeah, for me it
7:55
was braids. Yeah. I have braids all over my head.
7:57
These two also have braids, so they're like me.
8:00
Yeah. We're the same. The little Swedish loops.
8:03
Swedish Loops, yes. I had those in my second
8:06
grade school picture. That's so cute. Yes. Oh
8:08
my gosh, I love it. The one where we zoomed in
8:10
on the teeth. So before we get into the origins
8:14
and the development and creating cheeky American
8:19
Girl Doll content, Jackie, how would you describe
8:22
Girl Dolls the American Musical? Girl Dolls the
8:24
American Musical is a sort of... fusion between
8:28
cabaret, musical, and collective diary entry.
8:33
We sing songs and do, you know, wacky clowning
8:39
in order to process our childhoods and our relationships
8:42
to this. this conglomerate that taught us American
8:47
history, the American Girl Doll Company. And
8:50
my collaborator, Pax, and I wrote 17 original
8:53
songs that sort of take us through the journey
8:56
of processing all of those things and also processing
8:58
our relationship to each other. That PR answer,
9:01
I love it. No, no. It's so good. It's so good.
9:05
I really got the spiel down now. When we first
9:08
started, I was like, well, you know. Dolls. I
9:15
was a kid once. So what was the beginning of
9:19
the seeds of American Girl Dolls? Time -wise,
9:22
when did this journey start? And let's get down
9:26
to brass tacks. Was it you or Pax who had the
9:30
inspiration fever dream? Listen. An afternoon
9:35
with me and Pax is a fever dream. Yeah. In that
9:38
our brains work in a similar way where we're
9:40
kind of just doing like one -upping each other
9:43
on bits. And so I am 100 % certain that this
9:47
started as a joke. Yeah. I don't remember when.
9:49
But we worked together extensively with 1812
9:53
Productions on This is the Week That Is, their
9:55
annual sketch comedy political show. And then
9:58
we started writing together through a Bearded
10:00
Ladies production back in 2017, 2018, about Walt
10:05
Whitman and problematic heroes. So we have this...
10:08
history of being able to write really fluidly
10:10
and make jokes really fluidly together. I'm an
10:12
associate artist with the Bearded Ladies and
10:14
they have they have us as a sort of an advisory
10:16
board and as part of our perks for the work that
10:19
we do we get access to these cabaret residencies
10:23
which are micro grants to grow the idea of like
10:27
the seed of an idea for a new project and so
10:30
and in 2023 I received one of those, and with
10:35
that seed money, we were able to sit down and
10:38
sort of take it seriously and sort of write down
10:40
the jokes. PAX is really good at getting voice
10:42
memos down whenever we're doing something that
10:44
could lead to something. And so that time in
10:48
2023 was the first time we sat down and started
10:52
to say, okay, what could this become? And then
10:54
we had a showing in the Late Night Snacks Queer
10:58
Cabaret Festival as part of Fringe Festival.
11:01
In 2023. So that was where things really kicked
11:04
off. And we were astonished by the response.
11:10
This is such a specific niche subject that people
11:14
really go hard for. You hit home to a lot of
11:17
people. The dolls themselves is a particular
11:19
corner of the internet that I'm not even involved
11:21
in, really. But the resonance that the material
11:25
had. for some reason, really just hit, I think,
11:28
people in our generation, like millennials who
11:31
are in this phase of life where it's like, oh,
11:34
we are grown -ups now. We are running things
11:37
in some ways. And we have a lot of baggage that
11:42
we're carrying around. So what do we do with
11:44
all of it? And so that started shaping what would
11:47
eventually become the show. It's beautiful. Real
11:50
quick. Morgan and Paige, at one point, did you
11:53
find the show? Or at one point, did you discover
11:57
that this was a production? And did you buy tickets
12:01
right away? Yes, I bought tickets. Kayla. No,
12:04
Kayla. Our friend Kayla emailed me about it.
12:07
And I don't know if it's because she follows
12:11
the, is it Bearded Lady? cabaret yeah i think
12:15
she might follow bearded ladies and maybe part
12:17
of the newsletter forwarded to me and i pretty
12:19
much immediately bought tickets no question yeah
12:22
it's like no we're going to this you were in
12:26
the taylor swift equivalent of the pre -sale
12:28
no pretty much okay next question something that
12:34
struck me was how spot on the set was as I was
12:40
growing up in the 90s. Yes, the blow -up chair.
12:43
So did you have a mood board and did you exclusively
12:48
rip pieces from the Delia's home section, the
12:52
Delia's catalog home section from it? Or did
12:55
you source it? Did you find a secret Delia's
12:57
warehouse somewhere? Where is it? R .I .P. Our
13:02
set and props designer, he did both jobs, is...
13:05
A genius. His name's Chris Haig. He's the best
13:08
in the biz. And I sent him a deck of mood boards.
13:15
I had several mood boards. I can show them to
13:17
you if you want. A lot of them were how we want
13:22
the space to feel. We want it to feel like a
13:24
bedroom. We want people to feel like they're
13:26
here for a slumber party, that we can get into
13:28
secrets and sharing. But we also want that sort
13:32
of American girl. like sheen that like when you
13:37
go to an american girl store everything is like
13:41
I felt that. And organized. And the dioramas
13:43
are, like, perfect. The idea of a playroom that
13:46
you could never actually have in real life because
13:48
it would be, like, far too messy and there would
13:50
be toys on the ground and everything. But, like,
13:51
if we had a dream playroom for our childhood
13:53
selves, what would it look like? And ours has
13:56
a band in it. An incredible band. Incredible
13:59
band. So great. Mel Sue, Mel Wren, and Corinne
14:02
Kite Dean, three of the best musicians gigging
14:05
in Philadelphia. They are incredible. Their show
14:08
name is The Backstreet Toys. Oh, my God. Yes,
14:11
which we didn't make that. We should make more
14:14
of a deal of that. We introduced them at the
14:16
beginning, but that doesn't come back. It's so
14:18
good. I really just, like, went on Pinterest
14:21
and went nuts. I mean, you bring up the Delia's
14:24
catalog. Catalogs were such a huge part of my,
14:28
like, consumerist childhood. Oh my god, JCPenney
14:32
catalog for Christmas? It was our way to be adults.
14:36
We couldn't go to the stores by ourselves. And
14:39
there was no internet. The store was coming to
14:42
you. You went out and you grabbed the mail. You're
14:45
like, what is it in here now? I don't want this
14:47
junk. I want the catalogs. I mean, I would look
14:49
through a Land's End catalog. So you're like,
14:52
please. Come on. I wasn't going to wear any of
14:55
that stuff unless my mom made me, but, like,
14:57
I was going to go through it anyway just to see
14:59
what the patterns were. Oh, yeah, my mom had
15:01
Victoria Trading Company. Do you know that? Yes.
15:06
It was a lot. Oh, I loved it. It was a lot of,
15:08
like, Victorian, Edwardian clothing, and I loved
15:11
Samantha. For, like, Ren Faire stuff? No, I think
15:15
just for, like, middle -aged women who had, like,
15:20
that niche subculture of, you know, how people
15:23
will dress in like steampunk. Okay. Well, it
15:25
wasn't steampunk, but just people who do that.
15:27
And I was obsessed with that. So I would, I would
15:29
look at those a lot. I got a Victorian trading
15:32
catalog in the mail as recently as 2021. Wait,
15:37
really? I thought they were defunct because I
15:40
looked them up like a year. I almost got a vase.
15:44
Oh, I used to always want, they had a robe that
15:47
looked like Christine's robe from Phantom of
15:50
the Opera, and I remember wanting that. The American
15:52
Girl of Samantha, it would have been what she
15:54
wore. Perhaps as a grown -up. So funny. I was
15:58
just like an actual size ice skating rink, one.
16:02
Football uniform, one. Skateboard, one. Well,
16:08
you got the football uniform. I did. And the
16:12
red Jeep instead of the Barbie car. My parents
16:15
always knew. And I had kit, which I don't remember.
16:17
Oh, did you really? Yeah, but I don't remember.
16:20
Having Kit, but my mom said, yeah, we got you
16:22
Kit. And I was like, why? Why did they choose
16:24
Kit? Their mom knew. Because the other day. They
16:29
were like, let's get the one with the short hair.
16:30
Yeah. No. Queen Vix, as I call Morgan's mom.
16:35
The other day she was, isn't Kit a little butch?
16:38
Well, here's the thing. Our stage manager, C
16:41
.D. Kincaid, donated their very own Kit to the
16:44
show. And one of our OG super fan collaborators,
16:49
Ava. donated on the last day of the show donated
16:51
to cd another kit dressed in her hobo outfit
16:57
yes i want that outfit it's a holy grail item
16:59
for me so kit has this story there's no way they
17:02
could get around publishing today no but back
17:05
in the day She had a storyline where she had
17:08
a friend named Will who was a hobo. And I'm saying
17:11
this with quotes. And she became an oogle basically
17:14
for journalism reasons. And she hopped on a train
17:17
with him to see how the other half lives. Mind
17:20
you, she was poor. It's not like she was slumming.
17:24
Right. But she was like, people are poorer than
17:27
me. I gotta see what's going on on these trains.
17:29
Or these children are homeless. They're riding
17:31
trains. I'm gonna write about it. I'm nine. I
17:35
gotta break the story. Robert Kitt was a Depression
17:39
era American Girl doll. Just a little background.
17:43
Excellent, thank you. The only one with a bob.
17:45
Mm -hmm. Yeah, cunty bob. Oh, very cunty bob.
17:50
Oh my gosh. All right. We lost track. Let's talk
17:55
about the music. Yes. All original. Who was the
17:59
composer of the music and who wrote it? It was
18:04
a pretty solid collaboration. Pax arranged all
18:09
of the music because she has this incredible
18:11
ability to just take whatever I'm singing, put
18:14
chords behind it, and then notate it. I know.
18:17
I know. It's sickening. People are gifted. People
18:19
are so gifted. Pax especially. So gifted. The
18:24
music and lyrics were pretty much a solid 50
18:28
-50, I would say. I don't know. I wish PAX were
18:31
here to check me on that. But the songs we wrote
18:34
about our own lives, we wrote ourselves with
18:38
editing help from the other. And then the songs
18:41
that are about our shared experience, I'd say,
18:44
like, you know, it would start with a seed idea
18:46
from me. And then PAX would take it home and,
18:48
like, flesh it out. And then, you know, we would
18:50
rehearse it together and, you know, just sort
18:52
of collaborate on how we... Wanted to tell the
18:56
story musically. What was your favorite number
18:58
to perform? It was Addie, right? Was it Addie?
19:00
Is it Addie? Surprisingly, no. My favorite number
19:03
was Yankee Doodles. Which is at the beginning
19:07
of the show. Is that when you're introducing
19:09
all the girls? Yes. Where we do this sort of
19:12
slapstick dress -up box. That was brilliant.
19:17
Super slapdash intro to... all the dolls' personalities.
19:22
And we're just taking, like, the most caricature
19:25
information and, like, boiling it down to sort
19:28
of make fun of them and also to give people context
19:30
who might not know the dolls at all. Robert in
19:34
the front row. He's like, what is this world?
19:38
I'm so excited to learn about it. And, yeah,
19:41
so it's the original dolls, except Kit. She didn't
19:47
fit into the rhyme scheme. Not to interrupt real
19:51
quick, but I also feel like there are certain
19:55
age groups of women who grew up with the dolls
20:00
who probably think Kit is not one of the original
20:03
girl dolls. I don't know. Just me. Shots fired?
20:08
Yeah. I mean, anybody after Kaya? Yes. I'm like,
20:13
I don't know anything about that. Personally.
20:16
Elder millennial? Yeah. Elder millennial. I mean,
20:18
yeah. For some reason, Kaya, I remember so clearly
20:22
getting the Kaya catalog and being so excited.
20:25
And for some reason, Kit just did not spark the
20:27
same joy for me. And so our stage manager was
20:31
like, excuse me, are you guys going to put Kit
20:34
in this? And we were like, totally, babe. We'll
20:38
find a way. On the shelf. It's sad because I
20:43
realized I did not even clock that Kit was not
20:46
in the lineup. And I had Kit. We didn't get any
20:48
negative feedback about it. I don't even think
20:50
people noticed. Oh, poor Kit. No, she's fine.
20:53
Number one in our hearts. In your butch heart.
20:57
Sorry, Morgan. It's all right. Tea party triggered
21:01
the most emotion for us. Same. It was... Let's
21:10
talk about that. Let's unpack that. Okay. Do
21:13
you want to? We're all about unpacking baggage.
21:18
Did you see Tea Party evoking the most emotion
21:23
across the board for all of the performances?
21:26
It's hard to say. I think that is because Tea
21:31
Party comes at the turning point in the show
21:33
where the audience begins to realize that we're
21:38
not really driving the bus anymore and that our
21:41
secrets and the things we've tried to hide from
21:43
ourselves and from the audience and from each
21:45
other are starting to peek through. And so the
21:48
Tea Party marks a real shift into a more serious,
21:51
less sort of Fantasia of clowning moment. And
21:58
I think because Pax so brilliantly wrote this
22:02
song that describe something that's so visceral
22:07
and so painful in a way that is so relatable.
22:10
And, you know, the bait and switch with the photos.
22:13
I know. I was like, the Mennonites, I had no
22:17
idea. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was just so powerful.
22:32
Yeah. And for... For you both to, like, share
22:37
such, like, raw life with an audience was incredible.
22:43
Incredible moment to have. It's such a gift that
22:48
people accept it for what it is. Which is, you
22:52
know, it's a gift to us to be able to share this
22:56
and process. Like, this is, I was telling my
22:58
friend who's a therapist, like. they were like,
23:01
thank you so much for this gift. And I was like,
23:03
it's not really a gift. It's just like us processing
23:05
the world. And they were like, some people process
23:08
in ways that are completely unrelated to singing,
23:14
dancing, writing. Three years of the work. Yeah,
23:18
yeah. And they were like, no, take it seriously
23:21
that this is a gift. And that really was, I was
23:25
like. All right. It felt like receiving a gift,
23:29
truly. I'm so glad. And, okay, let's be real.
23:33
Our director, M .K. Twominan, is an evil genius.
23:38
For real, for real. Like, they are an incredible
23:42
playwright. And to have their brain on our work,
23:46
over the last couple years, they have helped
23:48
us, like, through workshops. Like, they don't
23:50
even live in Philly anymore. They live in Minnesota.
23:52
Oh, wow. How about Kirsten? True story. They
23:57
were Kirsten. That was our first job when they
24:00
were like 14. Them and their cousin were, I think
24:03
their cousin was Samantha. And they would like
24:04
dress up for, I don't know, like library events
24:07
or something. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. So the lore goes
24:11
deep. Also, another fun fact, our lighting designer,
24:14
Krista Smith, used to do lights for American
24:18
Girl corporate shows. She was in it. She was
24:23
in the machine. Oh, wow. And then she took that
24:26
and, like, I mean, talk about another. Every
24:29
single person on our team is just a genius. Like,
24:32
I really cannot say enough how much talent was
24:35
in that room and how humbled I felt to have all
24:38
of our designers and all of the minds on this
24:41
show make it what it was because there is just
24:43
no way we could have done it. Just me and Pax.
24:46
And it was hard at some points to, like, let
24:48
go and, like, let people put their, infuse their
24:50
genius into the ideas that, you know, they were
24:53
ours and then they grew. Right. Because we, like,
24:56
let them, we let other people's, like, like,
24:59
at them. Yes. And that was, it was humbling and
25:02
it was hard and it was, at the end of the day,
25:04
amazing. Because I was like, the way that the
25:07
lights are making me feel in this moment, like,
25:09
I can't replicate that with words. Or the way
25:12
the sound is mixed so that. You know, we're talking
25:15
on a microphone when we're saying things that
25:17
you, the audience, are supposed to know. And
25:19
we're talking on our lavalier microphones when
25:23
we're saying things the audience isn't supposed
25:24
to know. And so that means there's two sets of
25:27
microphones at all times. So our sound designer
25:30
is working so hard to make sure that everything
25:33
is balanced the entire show. Like there's just
25:36
so much incredible work that goes into every
25:39
single act. Complex work. I didn't hear you pulling
25:43
up your mic and this, like, going off, like,
25:45
the entire time. Like, wow. It was subconscious.
25:48
I don't think about it. Yeah. You know, like,
25:50
before Tea Party, that's the first moment where
25:53
I'm like, well, actually, no. During Yankee Doodles,
25:55
where I'm supposed to be Addie, and we have our
25:58
first little fight on stage, Pax and I, and we're
26:01
off microphone, like, yelling at each other,
26:03
like kids yell at each other when we're doing
26:04
a performance for Grown Ups. And that's the first
26:07
clue that, like... Maybe we're not completely
26:10
prepared for what we're about to do. None of
26:15
that is possible without this huge team. Because
26:18
at the beginning, it was just me and Pax in a
26:20
room with a keyboard. And the fact that I grew
26:22
into this monstrosity is, like, amazing. Like,
26:27
literal monster. Like, the pleasant roll in headdresses.
26:31
We are going to get to that. I'm sorry. I don't
26:33
mean to jump ahead. But I was, like, I was. I
26:36
was upset. I was like, people are going to be
26:40
scared. I loved it. She screamed when the lights
26:46
came on. They are terrifying. Did I scream? Yes.
26:51
I don't remember. Samantha! No, no, I screamed
26:56
when Samantha's, when y 'all tear apart. When
26:59
you tear apart the bedroom and someone like.
27:03
Her leg off. That was me. Loose limbs. We were
27:07
like, what is the most shocking thing you could
27:10
do to an American Girl doll? We have to do it.
27:12
Destroy her. So wait, did you have like, you
27:16
know how in movies a costume designer has multiple
27:21
of one dress whenever the dress is in a scene?
27:27
it gets like soaked or ruined or something. Did
27:30
you have multiple Samantha dolls that were just
27:32
ready to be? No. Um, fun fact that Samantha doll
27:36
was the original Samantha doll that I played
27:39
with when I was a kid because my, my first friend,
27:43
she had kit and Samantha and a bunch of like
27:46
accessories and furniture. And they donated that
27:50
to me for the show. And the Samantha was already
27:53
broken. Oh, so. We just had our costume designer,
27:57
I mean, I'm sorry, our props designer make it,
28:00
like, more broken and then fixable. Yes. Gotcha.
28:04
So that every night she could go back together.
28:07
Poor girl. Yeah, she's been through a lot. I
28:09
mean, she doesn't have eyelashes. Her bangs are
28:11
fucked up. She has been through a lot. That's
28:14
how you know she was loved. She was loved. Yes.
28:17
We painted their nails. We pierced their ears.
28:19
Oh, their pierced ears. We just painted it. Because
28:22
our dolls, we don't view them as, like, 10 years
28:25
old now. I think I probably viewed them as 9
28:27
and 10 when I was that age. But to me, they're
28:30
always, like, my age slash ageless slash in their
28:34
20s because my 20s were really sad and traumatic.
28:37
And now I'm like, oh, they get to be in their
28:39
fun 20s. So lots of painting of nails, lots of
28:44
the beats, the full beats. And that's amazing
28:46
how dolls can do that. You know, like, you're
28:49
like, yeah, I personally. Had a bad time in my
28:52
20s, but my doll, as a proxy for me, can have
28:55
a good time. And you're, like, healing yourself.
28:57
Yeah, exactly. Like, the psychology is really...
29:01
That's kind of why Sabrina is so special, because
29:04
I struggled with gender as a child and was like,
29:07
what is girl, boy, tomboy, girly girl? Like,
29:12
my mom would always be like, I'm not a girl or
29:15
a tomboy. I'm just a regular girl. And now I
29:17
feel like... I'm able to process, like, well,
29:22
through the doll and through Sabrina Carpenter
29:23
herself. Because I was at her concert, and I
29:27
was like, femininity, what? Like, femininity
29:30
and masculinity is so rigid, but it doesn't have
29:32
to be. And so there is power in being feminine,
29:36
and I'm kind of coming to terms with that. Through
29:39
the doll. Wow. Yeah, healing your inner child.
29:42
Yes. Better to do it through a doll than, like...
29:46
Your actual child. Say that again. Better to
29:51
do it through a doll than an actual child. Girl.
29:53
Your son, your daughter. Yes. Yeah. End of episode.
30:00
Like, mic drop. I love it. Parents, please get
30:04
therapy. Before you have kids. Not after. Right.
30:09
Before. Hopefully before and during. Yes, try
30:12
raising an American Girl doll before you try
30:13
with a real baby. Yes. Don't leave him on the
30:18
bus. Was it Dallaloo -ya that got the most laughs
30:24
or the number with the cult leader red costume?
30:29
Or was it something else? Personally, the J .K.
30:33
Rowling thing, I was like... You know where I
30:37
came out as like a Harry Potter? Yeah, yeah,
30:39
yeah. I was dying. Pax, little devil, would leave
30:44
a longer and longer pause every night. By the
30:48
end of the run, I was standing there for like
30:50
a full minute while people were having reactions.
30:53
I was like, can we move on? I'm not actually
30:57
supposed to be this vulnerable this early. To
31:02
your question, I... Hallelujah is such a, like,
31:06
sort of a clusterfuck, for lack of a better word.
31:09
Like, I'm not really clocked in to the audience
31:12
at that point because, like, for several reasons.
31:15
And I'm also, like, singing really hard. But
31:18
the screams when we would come out as the Pleasant
31:23
Roland devotees. And we told our costume designer,
31:27
God bless her, Rebecca Kanak. We were like, okay,
31:30
have you seen Dune? You know, the Bene Gesserit
31:34
reverent mothers. We want to look like that.
31:37
We just want to be in a cult for a couple minutes
31:40
and then sort of move on and never address it
31:43
again. And she took that and she said, you know
31:47
what? I'm going to take that and I'm going to
31:50
raise you the evil baby doll from Toy Story and
31:56
I'm going to put that on your head. I will honestly
32:01
say for the performers, that was one of the technically
32:03
the hardest things that we had to do was get
32:05
those costumes on quickly. Yes. And not have
32:08
them fall over or have our bodies fall over.
32:10
Very impressive quick change. Because they're
32:12
heavy. Yeah. How heavy? I could not. Heavier
32:16
than a doll. Yeah. With a doll on your head.
32:18
Those doll baby arms and heads were 3D printed.
32:22
So they're like. They're hefty. They're light,
32:25
but they have a heft to them. And then they're
32:28
also balanced on this tall hat, comb thing. Yeah,
32:33
it was a challenge. We got there, but it was
32:38
really satisfying to see the audience reaction
32:40
to that because it is shocking and unexplained.
32:48
I did see the Bene Gesserit, that's what they're
32:52
called, right? I saw that reference. Yeah. I
32:55
loved it. Because, like, we were, like, trying
32:57
to get at that, like, obsession, like, that feeling
33:00
of, like, cultish devotion to this, like, narrative,
33:06
to these products that, like, we grew up with.
33:10
But it's like, how do we make it visible? Yeah.
33:13
And so that's what we did. We didn't write this
33:18
on the conversation jump off list, but something
33:22
that I noticed was that in the credits, in the
33:27
program, y 'all had a Swedish language advisor
33:31
or consultant. True. And I keep thinking of Kirsten,
33:38
who shows up on the, does Kirsten show up on
33:40
the TV? Or where's that moment? There's a moment
33:42
where she shows up. somewhere, right? And she
33:46
starts talking. And she starts talking. Yeah.
33:48
What made you, how did that come to be? I like,
33:52
I can't. And how does one find a Swedish advisor?
33:56
Swedish American Museum. Well, the artistic director
34:03
of the Bearded Ladies, Rose Darbo, we did a work
34:07
in progress showing like a couple years ago and
34:09
she was like, when are the dolls going to talk?
34:11
Gotta make the dolls talk. And we were like,
34:13
no, no, no, no, whatever, we don't need it. But
34:16
it just stuck in our craw, kind of. And in the
34:20
end, it's the dolls telling on us. And so we
34:22
voiced our own dolls. Pax voiced Kirsten, and
34:27
I voiced Addie. And our Swedish consultant is
34:31
a friend of mine named Arsema Kugelberg. She
34:33
lives in Stockholm, and I met her years ago through
34:36
the Girls Rock Camp Alliance, RIP Girls Rock
34:39
Philly. But it's like a global network of rock
34:43
camps for gender equality and rock music. And
34:45
I just, like, emailed her and was like, hey,
34:48
I have a weird request. Can you, like, make videos
34:51
of yourself saying these words that I put through
34:53
Google Translate? And she was like, uh, okay.
34:58
So, yeah. I love that. And then Addie talks,
35:02
too, right? And she's kind of, she kind of gets
35:05
a little, I wouldn't say aggressive, but a little
35:08
aggressive with you. Yes. And that was me getting
35:10
aggressive with myself. Yeah. I nearly died when
35:14
that happened. That was, I think, for me, one
35:17
of the funniest parts. It is the part, you know,
35:20
I have these moments of being like, oh my god,
35:22
I did that in front of people. You know? And
35:26
now, people know that. I can't think about that
35:30
too much. I mean, whatever, it's part and parcel
35:36
with the job, but like, you know, just really
35:39
that kind of writing where it's like me skewering
35:41
my child self and then voicing my child self.
35:43
The first couple times I heard that, like recording,
35:46
I was like, oh my God. This is intense. But it
35:51
all serves a purpose. And not to like keep harping
35:54
on it, but when she starts showing up in different
35:56
areas of the stage, it's literally like, she's
36:00
over there now. Theater magic. Okay, real quick.
36:04
Was it just one doll or were there multiple Addys?
36:07
What was the magic? I'm going to plead the fifth
36:09
on that one. Oh, okay. It never reveals their
36:14
secrets. When we do the show again, people will
36:16
have to see if they can track it. Oh, okay. Wait,
36:19
are you going to put on more performances? Sorry.
36:20
That's the hope. Because I would see it again.
36:23
We would love to tour the show. We would love
36:24
to do another run in Philadelphia. So yeah, if
36:27
y 'all know anybody who wants to produce us.
36:30
Please record an album also. That's in the works.
36:32
Okay. Yay. The soundtrack. Sorry. Yes. Incredible.
36:39
Yeah. Maybe we can talk about it at the end.
36:41
We're going to try to do a little fundraiser.
36:43
Yes. I'll do it. So you won't tell us how many
36:46
Addy dolls or what your tricks are, but can you
36:50
tell us how many dolls in total were involved
36:53
with the production of the musical? Amazing question.
36:56
I believe... There were 31. Oh my gosh, they're
37:00
going to unionize. I know. And they should. They
37:03
worked hard. Exactly. There's a picture of all
37:05
of them, I think, up on Pax's Instagram. I believe
37:09
it's 31. I could be wrong. It is an army of dolls.
37:13
It is incredible. Well, what I think is funny
37:17
is when I saw them all lined up, descending from
37:20
the ceiling, I was like, it was incredible. Yeah.
37:23
Again. If I were drinking water, I would have
37:26
done literal spit takes, which I've been able
37:27
to do with Morgan. But that's 31 dolls. I can't
37:31
even imagine because I'm involved in what they
37:34
call A -G -I -G, which is American Girl Instagram.
37:36
And people have, like, I have a lot of dolls.
37:39
What do I have, five, six? Five. And people have,
37:44
like, 21 and counting, blah, blah. And then people
37:46
have, like, 100. I mean, the girl on, what's
37:49
that young lady's name on Love on the Spectrum?
37:51
Mm -hmm. The Collector. Yes. She has, like, every
37:55
single doll. Except. No. Well, I know her. Madison.
38:00
Oh. The girl who brings, like, six American girls
38:04
on a date with her. She's amazing. First of all,
38:07
she's an icon. The second of all, like, her home
38:09
is just, like, lined. And she's, like. That's
38:12
the dream. She has them lined up in order of
38:14
release date. Oh. The knowledge is incredible.
38:17
Wow. Oh, yeah. People are complete, like, libraries.
38:20
Also. Okay. My friend Azola, who's 10, is a friend
38:25
I met through this because he is a self -described
38:28
American Girl doll collector. Love it. And he
38:30
is my friend's stepkid. donated us two of his
38:34
dolls oh my god because he i forget how many
38:36
he has he told me the other day i think he has
38:38
like 11 dolls but he has like a giant doll house
38:41
for them and he came to our dress rehearsal with
38:45
two dolls like one under each arm and like sat
38:48
in the front row and like looked at the set and
38:50
was like that's my doll and that's my doll and
38:53
i'm getting chills just talking about it like
38:55
just like having the space for kids to be encouraged
39:01
like that to like really just go hard on the
39:05
thing that they love. And like, I just, I feel
39:08
really lucky that I get to know him, provide
39:12
a space for him to feel seen. Oh, that would
39:15
have made me cry. Oh yeah. I almost cried the
39:17
last summer when I went to the American Girl
39:20
store. And that's actually when I got my mini
39:22
me. I did not plan. I was not a collector at
39:25
that point. I was, yes. I did not plan on getting
39:28
a doll, and then it was, like, for my birthday,
39:29
and we're like, whatever, I'll just get it, and
39:31
then I've been obsessed ever since. But they
39:34
have so many more truly me dolls. I think they
39:36
were, like, just like you dolls, Girls of Today,
39:38
blah, blah, blah. It's, like, the non -historical,
39:39
where you're supposed to get one that looks like
39:42
you, quote, unquote. I'm sure you know. It's,
39:45
like, there's a lot of classic mold, blonde hair,
39:48
blue eyes. Like, every shade of brown hair. Every
39:51
shade of brown hair. Straight brown hair. Straight
39:53
brown hair. Some with bangs, some without, but
39:55
they're all very... And when I saw the lineup
39:59
of the different molds that they've added, and
40:03
they're not perfect. There's drama about their
40:04
girl of the year. There hasn't been a black girl
40:06
of the year since forever ago. Speak on it. I'm
40:10
very mad at Mattel right now. Who owns it? Sorry,
40:13
Pleasant Roland. But there was this young black
40:16
girl and her mother looking at the dolls, and
40:19
she's like, which one do you want? And me and
40:20
my sister were like... We're not, like, there's
40:23
somebody, there's another little girl of color
40:26
who's able to find a doll that looks like her
40:29
and have actual variation. She doesn't have just
40:31
one option. And then we had to walk away because
40:35
we're like, we can't just, like, walk. We can't,
40:37
like... creepily watch little kids pick out dolls.
40:41
Like, we're already weirdly adults in this store.
40:44
Okay, but you're not alone in that. Oh, no, they
40:47
have. So we went to the American Girl Cafe, and
40:49
we... Because we doubled down. We doubled down,
40:52
and we would just schedule a reservation. I was
40:56
like, oh, Mattel, American Girl, they know what
40:58
they're doing because they ask you, they don't
41:00
ask you how many people in your party. They said,
41:01
how many children, how many adults? So me and
41:04
my sister, two adults. When we got there, they
41:06
had a whole back wall and booth. And I looked
41:08
around, not a child in sight. It was all millennials.
41:12
And I was like, oh, they know. They separate.
41:13
The brand is strong. Oh, it is. Also, I do want
41:17
to address that SNL sketch that people kept bringing
41:20
up to us. That's one of the Kelsey's, like the
41:23
football guys. And he's like this very tired,
41:26
very boring sketch about like a gay man being
41:31
alone in a... American Girl Cafe with two dolls.
41:35
Yeah. And, like, the doll writing is hilarious.
41:38
Yeah. Those dolls are serving. They're, like,
41:41
waving to the boy dolls. They're, like, they're
41:44
hilarious. But it's just this very tired thing
41:47
of, like, oh, gay equals pedophile. Yeah. So
41:50
we're going to have, like, a single man in a
41:52
pink suit, like, go to, I was just, like, people
41:55
kept, like, telling us, like, oh, have you seen
41:57
this sketch? Like, this is what's in the, like,
41:59
popular culture about American Girls. And I was,
42:02
like, Boo. Yeah. Like, be more creative. There
42:06
is a market for people who are adults, who don't
42:10
have children, who don't want children. It's
42:12
their 40th anniversary, American Rose 40th anniversary
42:15
this year. And so they actually, again, because
42:17
kids these days don't necessarily care about
42:20
the historical dolls. They are re -releasing
42:22
historical dolls. And it's for millennials. It's
42:26
for us. They brought back Felicity, which was
42:28
controversial because, you're a slave owner.
42:32
her own slaves and were and she like loved her
42:35
grandpa and he was just so great and the and
42:38
the um the one again enslaved person was her
42:43
father's helper at the shop and like and they
42:46
have like a page or two at the back of the book
42:48
right where they would but to bring her back
42:51
everyone was like are they gonna rewrite her
42:52
story what like what are they doing and the reddit
42:57
There was a lot of controversy. I had a post
43:00
that got removed. Yes. I'm not laughing at you.
43:04
I'm laughing at Reddit. Yeah, no, it was wild.
43:06
Felicity the horse girl. There was a lot of controversy.
43:10
Why was it removed? Well, first of all, because
43:12
they kept having to ban controversial posts or
43:15
people arguing about, like, Felicity shouldn't
43:17
have come back, whatever, and it was just getting
43:18
really toxic. And so I posted, I didn't think
43:22
it was that divisive. I thought it was funny.
43:24
I was like, I was like, I was like, I think the
43:28
real reason people love Felicity is she's a horse
43:33
girl with pretty gowns. And I was like, so if
43:36
we're going to write that again, like what would
43:38
your historical doll be that's like a horse girl
43:40
and has. pretty gowns like it doesn't like what
43:43
would it be and then i forget what some people
43:46
like actually answered the prompt and like gave
43:48
like historical time periods and why she would
43:50
be a horse girl and what kind of clothes she
43:52
would wear and then other people were like we're
43:55
more than horse girls and i was like oh yeah
43:58
i was like whoa whoa whoa and then other people
44:02
were like all right and And so they took it down.
44:04
I was so confused. I had to be like, well, why
44:05
is this Felicity post down? And they're like,
44:08
out of fairness, we took that post down, too.
44:11
And I was like, this is so stupid. Page goes
44:12
on for a court spree. Yeah. I was so nervous.
44:15
That's why I stick to Instagram. And I don't
44:17
really, I just lurk on the Reddit now. Well,
44:19
Reddit is. I love it, but it's so toxic. I mean,
44:22
yeah, it's. Made for toxicity. I can't wait until
44:26
our podcast gets a Reddit page. That's how, like,
44:31
we're going to go viral. I mean, the Philly Reddit.
44:37
It's something. I've been served some content
44:42
and I'm like, wow. For a while, I was getting
44:46
served IVF content. Oh. Yeah, I have two boys
44:50
that I conceived naturally. Please don't cut
44:54
that. How did I end up on this side of Reddit?
44:59
Weird. Yeah. That's insane. So today, as Robert
45:04
mentioned earlier, several of Paige and Morgan's
45:07
American Girl doll collection are joining us.
45:09
But what inspired you? To create content around
45:15
the ladies. You started the page. I started the
45:18
page because originally it was going to be a
45:20
page with me and my sister. Because she lives
45:22
at State College. She teaches at Penn State.
45:24
So she's there with her doll that she got when
45:27
we went to AG Place. And we're like, oh, they
45:30
can take photos. We can both post on it. And
45:33
she kind of fell off on that. And then I like
45:36
dressing them up. That's my thing. There's different
45:38
types of collectors. Some of them are really
45:40
into like... You know, I want every girl of the
45:42
year. I want all the historicals. And they'll
45:44
only put the historicals in the store. I'll put
45:45
them in whatever. And I just like to dress them
45:47
up. And, like I said, they're, like, in their
45:49
20s. They're little manifestations of me and
45:53
other girls slash women. All women are girls
45:56
to me unless they tell me otherwise. Like, just,
45:59
like, girlhood, you know, just encompassing that.
46:01
And I, like, change them frequently enough that
46:04
I wanted to start documenting. what they were
46:06
wearing. And I was like, I might as well put
46:08
them up. And then I was like, oh, you can make
46:11
memes out of them and just put, like, captions
46:13
on. And I was like, oh, this is just fun. And
46:16
then little apps to, like, make little collages.
46:19
I was like, why not? It was just a fun way to
46:22
express myself and do something with the dolls.
46:24
And I was like, I paid for all this. I might
46:25
as well. I really love Addie's outfit. Thank
46:29
you. I would wear that. Right? So the top is
46:32
from the A Girl of Today hiking outfit, Pleasant
46:35
Company still, I think. Those pants, I forgot.
46:38
Someone made them, I think, on Etsy, and I bought
46:40
them off someone. They're gorgeous. Thank you.
46:43
I got involved because one day you're like, I
46:47
want you to dress one of my dolls. And I was
46:49
like, okay. And we recorded a video, and it got
46:53
liked. Aw. 5 ,000 likes or something? How many
46:57
margaritas did Morgan drink? I think a gummy.
47:02
I think a gummy. There was a gummy involved.
47:04
And I think people really... I think people loved
47:08
it because I think the caption on the reel was
47:11
like, POV, my... my butch partner dresses my
47:15
femme doll and I think that dichotomy people
47:18
really enjoyed and like you said it goes back
47:19
to like you expressing your femininity like you
47:22
don't have to be the one to wear it right you
47:23
can be like oh my god Morgan's like Tulpa that's
47:25
the name of one of my dolls it's like Tulpa's
47:27
Tulpa's my femme and then they're like oh it's
47:31
not my doll sorry sorry and now we do it because
47:34
we used to have a podcast because we just like
47:36
to yap oh I loved your podcast oh thank you we
47:39
like we like to yap like we'll talk to an audience
47:42
even when there's no audience there so like we
47:45
might as well film it and even if just we watch
47:47
them and then so we started doing a series where
47:49
like my husband because they have a husband shirt
47:52
and that's what I call them so it's just dressing
47:54
my dolls and it's so fun because we just get
47:56
so we just get inebriated and we're like let's
47:58
draw dress a doll tonight and Morgan goes to
48:00
the clothes does their commentary I love when
48:03
Morgan's like this looks like this goes to this,
48:07
and you say, they came together, and you're like,
48:09
let's not do that. Yes, because I want to be
48:11
original. I don't want it to come as a set. Yes,
48:14
I get very, and then Sabrina came along, because
48:17
I was like, you wanted to get me a boy doll.
48:22
Yeah, and I was like, and there was a creator
48:25
that had a custom Sabrina doll, and I said, If
48:27
I get a doll, it has to be a custom Sabrina doll.
48:30
Yeah, so I got for Morgan's birthday. Shout out
48:33
to Loved Again Dolls. Her name's Amanda in Tennessee.
48:36
She used to work at the American Girl place,
48:37
I think, in Tennessee. And she's really talented.
48:40
I was like, again, yes, if I Sabrina. I was like,
48:43
I want her to have her stage makeup on. That's
48:46
a Cinderella American Girl doll wig that she
48:49
styled to look like her hair. She put the kissy
48:53
mark on the back. So she's really talented. Incredible.
48:57
There's just, like, a whole, like, economy. Oh,
49:00
yeah. Like, I'm still looking at these tiny pants
49:03
that someone stitched. Right. Oh, there's so
49:05
many Etsy sellers, so many other people who do
49:07
customization. Like, people have done full goth
49:10
makeup. It's so fun. Amazing. Yeah. Juicy couture
49:16
sets. Yes. Oh, yeah. Full with the rhinestone
49:20
juicy on the ass. Yes. Flora. Wow. Mm. I think
49:24
it's just, like, a really good escapism. Yeah.
49:28
In this current climate. Oh, my God. Yes. And
49:32
people love nostalgia. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Go back
49:36
to when life was simpler. Exactly. There wasn't
49:39
bills. And she was recognized at the show that
49:41
we went to because of Instagram. They're like,
49:44
wait, is that the custom Sabrina doll I see?
49:46
Yes. This is the custom Sabrina doll. Recognized.
49:51
Well, thank you all for the conversation today.
49:55
Where can our audience find you online? I am
50:00
not super online. My Instagram is at everlasting
50:05
underscore sorrow, but I don't really go on there
50:07
very much. Good for you. Thank you. It just makes
50:10
me feel ill a lot of the time. So I'm so sorry
50:13
to anyone who I've missed on there. But Pax is
50:17
really good at Instagram, and her handle is at
50:20
PaxWrestler, R -E -S -S -L -E -R. A lot of our
50:24
content from the show is on the Bearded Ladies
50:25
Instagram, which is at Bearded Ladies Cabaret.
50:28
And we also have a Patreon, American Girl Dolls
50:31
The Musical, where you can get behind -the -scenes
50:34
content about our making -of process, more information
50:38
about what we're up to next, including our recording.
50:43
The recording is in the works. We've heard the
50:45
voices of the people. And we are going to make
50:48
an album of the music from the show. Hallelujah.
50:51
Yes. So in order to do that, we're going to have
50:55
to do some fundraising. So we are going to have,
50:57
fingers crossed, a merch drop pretty soon. Yes.
51:02
You have to do AG. Size, 18 -inch doll size?
51:05
Exactly. Stop. I will buy anything. I'm like,
51:10
yes, we're going to make adult -sized and doll
51:13
-sized merch. Oh, I'll buy both. For me and Iris.
51:16
Yeah, so you can twin. So stay tuned for that.
51:20
And yeah, hopefully we'll be able to get out
51:22
a recording sometime this year as the momentum
51:26
keeps growing for the project. Absolutely amazing.
51:28
You can find us at at Unpleasant Company, which
51:32
is a reference to Pleasant Roland's Pleasant
51:35
Company before American Girl was bought by Mattel.
51:39
So cute. Thank you. And we'll be right back with
51:44
rapid fire questions. And we're back with rapid
52:00
fire questions. Let's go in a circle. I think
52:05
we just go, you ask a question, everyone jump
52:08
in with theirs. Rapid fire. In a circle? Sure,
52:12
sure. Or like chaos. Or just chaos? Okay, perfect,
52:17
perfect. Philadelphia art scene in one word.
52:20
Eclectic. Underrated. Controversial sometimes.
52:24
Based on the Reddit. That's all I'll say. Least
52:30
problematic American girl doll. Kaya. Wait. I
52:35
take that back. Is there one? I know. I feel
52:44
like Addie is the most problematic in that, like,
52:47
why is the first black doll have the most traumatic?
52:51
thing you could go through, but I feel like she's
52:54
probably, her and Kai are probably the most well
52:57
-researched because I think Pleasant, Roland
53:01
didn't want to F it up. So I think they might
53:03
be, so like they're controversial in their own
53:05
way, but they might be pretty historically accurate.
53:09
I would say pass because America's problematic.
53:14
Heard. Heard. How many American Girl dolls do
53:18
you own? One. One. So I have five plus two at
53:23
home. Like at my parents' house. Oh, I forgot
53:26
about that. The dead stall collection. Yeah,
53:28
Kirsten, Samantha. Oh, no, and Kit. How many
53:31
is that? I don't know. I can't count. Eight.
53:32
Wow, amazing. Yeah. I guess at this point it's
53:36
three, but... Not counting the 31. 31 adopted.
53:41
Well, those are for the project. Yeah. I think
53:45
only three of them are actually mine, or they
53:47
were given to me for the show. You need a mini.
53:50
I know, that's what Azola was saying. He was
53:53
like, I'm going to make one for you. I was like,
53:56
we'll talk. Who cried at Girl Dolls, an American
54:00
musical? Me. Me. I mean me, probably, while we
54:04
were making it. And what are you most excited
54:09
for for this Pride? Pride this year is also controversial.
54:13
True. It's a little too controversial right now.
54:16
I'm excited for the Eric Jaffe show. It's going
54:18
to be at Tavern on Thursday, I think. Okay. It's
54:23
going to be cute. I love her. I love her like,
54:26
Pride this year in Philly. Drama. Yeah, I think
54:30
just probably within our own little circles.
54:33
Yeah. Well, this is going live on July 1st, so
54:38
Pride will have concluded by 3, 6, 5. Yeah, that's
54:42
true. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Protect the dolls. Protect
54:45
the dolls. told you we got unhinged yeah yeah
55:02
i mean the dolls the dolls over there i mean
55:06
i think sabrina carpenter was just staring at
55:10
me the entire time and i was like what what is
55:12
what's the problem she was like a spotted out
55:15
american girl doll i was like girl calm on the
55:19
makeup calm on the makeup hilarious lots of stuff
55:24
here's our top four picks Tomorrow, Thursday,
55:28
July 16th, Rarify and Palmer Purcell present
55:32
Wasted at 924 Market Street from 630 to 830.
55:37
Robert, I RSVP'd. Did you? I am there. Figure
55:42
drawing for animation and illustration. A workshop
55:46
at the Philadelphia Sketch Club is this Saturday,
55:49
July 18th from 4 to 7 p .m. If you needed a hint
55:54
about what is coming next week. The July closing
55:58
reception for Da Vinci Art Alliance is this Sunday,
56:02
July 19th. Say goodbye to collective renderings
56:05
of We the People, a group members exhibition,
56:08
and yes, a solo exhibition by Pomona Zah. Lines
56:13
are marked, yet We Are All Outsiders is ongoing
56:16
at Pentimenti Gallery. And with that, Philly
56:20
has art. And art! Thanks for tuning in to Philly
56:56
Has Heart, your weekly cultural update. Until
56:59
next time, keep creating, keep connecting, and
57:02
remember, Philly has heart.