The Femme Commandments at Explosives Factory Tickets

Nikki Viveca is a 40-something Latvian Australian trans woman, a poet, burlesque artist and comedian. Kitty San Pedro is a 40-something Greek Australian cis woman, a classically trained violinist who now plays music of the Greek underground. Both of them have repeatedly broken their family’s hearts by not following expected paths through life.

This is a show about the rules and expectations placed on women. Told from a personal and intimate perspective, it will use poetry, story-telling and music to explore what it means to be your own woman in a world determined to tell you how you should be and how you’re doing it wrong.

Something like a cross between a poetry reading and an indie folk concert, the Femme Commandments covers topics women often feel we can’t (or shouldn’t) talk about. Bodily autonomy and the changes we make (or don’t) to our bodies to fit social ideas. Parenting outside the expected social structures. “Acceptable” ways of ageing. “Acceptable” ways of being queer. "Acceptable" ways of talking about these kind of topics.

Nikki's poetry combines humour and pathos, allowing for gentle exploration of taboo themes, while Kitty’s music evokes and soothes emotion. In a world that is an increasingly challenging place for all women, this show voices resistance and offers hope and comfort.