“When I went to work in a studio, I took my pride and made a nice little ball of it and threw it right out the window.” – Dorothy Arzner
I consider myself a fiercely devoted cinephile, so I was amiss to discover that I didn’t know who Dorothy Arzner was. I first heard her name when I found out that a play inspired by her was going to be produced in Calgary. Since learning more about her, my sheepishness level has raised from faint orange to bright red. The bleating began, but considering that most film histories have virtually ignored her work, I capped it off at a solid two minutes.
Arzner was a living, breathing, anomaly in her time; being the only woman director during the post-silent “Golden Age” of Hollywood’s studio system in the 1920s, 30s and early 40s. She deftly crossed the social mores of her time, ultimately flourishing in the male-dominated and often phallocentric world of filmmaking. To this day, she is the female director with the longest continuous career and largest body of work in Hollywood.
Dorothy was a woman with many ‘firsts’. Prior to her directorial debut, she excelled as a film editor and was the first of any gender to be professionally credited as such on screen. On the set of Paramount Pictures first ‘talkie’, A Wild Party, Arzner devised the first fishpole microphone to allow for freedom in movement, essentially creating the boom mike. In 1933, she became the first female member of the Directors Guild of America.
Oh yeah, and the plot thickens…she was also a lesbian. Her lesbianism seemed to be well known among the Hollywood community, though it was rarely noted publicly. Although she was openly gay and unwilling to hide her sexuality, Arzner refused to be categorized as a woman or a gay director, insisting she was simply a ‘director.’ However, this did not stop critics from often commenting on her strengths and weaknesses as a ‘woman director’.
Dorothy’s art, professional life and relationships are explored in Urban Curvz Theatre’s upcoming production of Camera, Woman. This play, by Canadian poet/playwright/video artist RM Vaughan, was inspired by Arzner’s last film, First Comes Courage. In 1943, she walked off of the set in the middle of filming and never returned.
The real reasons behind her seemingly abrupt withdrawal from Hollywood have been widely speculated throughout the years, along with the question of whether she should be remembered for the art that she created or for her sexuality. Arzner has been the subject of feminist critical attention, most notably in Claire Johnston’s 1975 collection - Dorothy Arzner: Towards a Feminist Cinema. This book has been much debated, as many posit that it interprets Arzner’s films out of context in order to prove a thesis, instead of honouring her as an individual and respecting the way that she chose to, or chose not to, identify. This debate lays the foundation for a fascinating discussion about the relationship between sexuality, gender identity and artistic production.
Kathryn Waters, director of Camera, Woman is excited to be part of telling a story that deals with these questions. “This play offers a rare chance to explore the life of a queer woman – but it’s not about who she fucked. I’m tired of narratives that purport to tell queer stories but then succeed in reducing our lives to the notion that we are exclusively our sexuality – as opposed to the reality that we are dynamic people, living interesting, complex lives.”
A script that deals with such meaty and intricate issues calls for a cast that can rise to the challenge, and Camera, Woman boasts an all-star team. Starring the legendary Denise Clarke (of One Yellow Rabbit fame) as Dorothy Arzner, alongside some of Calgary’s finest in Trevor Leigh, Karen Johnson-Diamond, Lesley Galbecka, and Julie Orton.
It seems fitting that a play like Camera, Woman would make its Calgary debut with Urban Curvz. Founded in 2005, this award-winning, female-driven theatre company has unapologetically and enthusiastically communicated that they are passionate about providing engaging artistic opportunities to female artists.
Not unlike Hollywood, the world of theatre still grapples with unbalanced realities. Nevertheless, instead of focusing on what’s missing, Urban Curvz Theatre (UCT) has shaped their own set of standards and created opportunities for female playwrights, directors, actors, producers, and technicians. For the past five years, they have challenged the norm by consistently telling stories that contain strong, interesting, complicated, and diverse women.
Known to some as ”Calgary’s Feminist Theatre Company”, UCT dives head first into subject matter that few dare to even dip their toes into. From the achingly devastating and beautiful depiction of a woman in love in 1920’s Communist Russia, (The Russian Play, by Hannah Moscovitch) to the captivating and hilarious Vajajay Monologues by Lindsay Burns, UCT provides an outlet for provocative, engaging, and entertaining stories.
Camera, Woman director, Kathryn Waters, has recently been appointed as artistic director designate for Urban Curvz, and will be taking over the reins from Jessica Dollard at the end of the current season. Dollard will be focusing more of her efforts in the direction of the Fairy Tales Diversity Film Festival, where she serves as the Festival and Programming Director. After a very intriguing conversation with Waters, it’s easy to see why she was chosen for this position. A sincere passion and excitement for this theatre company and the unique voice that it has in this city, seems to brim from her unconsciously.
“Our mandate is not about producing plays about gender dichotomy,” says Waters, “it’s about the honest exploration of women’s lives, and celebrating the female experience.”
If the past is any indication of the future, we can expect UCT to continue to engage in projects that challenge the status quo and to encourage us to examine the condition of our social, political, and economic climate.
