“Brilliant comic timing…delivered by a one woman dynamo.” “Bernard has something to say.”
-Cincinnati CityBeat
“It’s an orgiastic encounter with wit, silliness, song, finding self confidence and a cello. It should not be missed.”
-Elgin Walkabout

“The Fainting Room” is an explosive release of physical comedy, music, and candid confession. This raucous one-woman show explores how the mental/physical diagnosis of hysteria (a disease which continued to be recognized until 1952) has shaped our understanding of mental and sexual health today, examining the intersections of gender, mental health, sexuality and body positivity while celebrating self love and agency over the care of our own bodies. It follows the journey of a modern young woman who finds herself transported back in time to an 1890’s medical treatment facility. There she encounters two different doctors, a midwife and an anthropomorphized vibrator as she is exposed to absurd medical treatments and anatomical misunderstandings of the past. Running time is 60 minutes with no intermission.
This program is made possible, in part, by support from Bindlestiff Family Variety Arts, Inc. and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Becca Bernard is a Brooklyn, NY based performance artist who blends physical comedy, music, and dance to communicate her ferociously optimistic perspective of the world. The Fainting Room has performed at the Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Elgin Fringe and NY Clown Theatre Festivals and the Violence Against Women Conference at Lesley University. In addition to performing onstage as an actor, Becca has worked as a clown for the Zany Umbrella Circus, the hospital organization Lev Leytzan, Parallel Exit and a troupe based out of the Celebration Barn Theater. Becca trained in Arezzo Italy, studying Commedia Dell’Arte, mask performance and clown at the Accademia Dell Arte. www.beccanoelbernard.com

ABOUT ON WOMEN FESTIVAL 2020:
The 2020 edition of The Irondale’s On Women Festival will occur across three weeks of March and will consist of two Main Stage productions during the first two weeks, with each show running exclusively in the space from Wednesday-Saturday, and two Workshop productions during the third week. Closing the festival on March 21st, we’ll have a special performance by the Young New Yorkers Chorus Women’s Ensemble. Following Irondale’s mission of opening our doors to the community and valuing the artists work, we’re also adding formative activities in this year’s festival line-up – OW: Artists Exchange and OW: Artists Workshop. These are designed to ensure that this very important venture becomes as significant to the next generation of artists, of collaborators, of audiences and of citizens, as it is to us. This year’s festival had an open curation process. We looked for female-identifying artists that showed great passion about their work and were able to coherently justify why their work is so important now. Irondale made no distinction based on ethnicity or cultural background.