Political activism is alive and well at the Waterfront Playhouse, where the Key West Players present the Florida premiere of acclaimed performance artist Tim Miller's solo show, "Glory Box," running Tuesday, June 12 to Saturday, June 16.
Taking its name from the Australian term for hope chest, "Glory Box" is a funny, sexy, and politically charged exploration of same-sex marriage and the struggle for immigration rights for lesbian and gay bi-national couples. It's also a political tool for the artist, who provides audience members with petitions and arms them with information and inspiration in the hopes that they will help push forward legislation to support his cause.
Of course, Miller's providing an evening of quality entertainment as well. "Glory Box" recounts the trials Miller has been forced to undergo in trying to keep his Australian partner in the United States. The performance careens from Miller's hilarious grade school playground battles over wanting to marry another boy to the bittersweet adult challenges of relationships and climaxes in a harrowing nightmare of his over being torn from him at an international airport.
Michael Feingold in the Village Voice wrote of "Glory Box": "The subject— immigration rights for same-sex partners— is a thorny one and arcane to most Americans, but Miller has a gift for letting one topic open surprising doors into a multitude of others; his works are as canny and complex as they are charming."
Humorous and inspired, Miller's art is dedicated to trying to make sense of sex, life, and love in a tumultuous world. He has tackled this challenge most recently in pieces such as "Naked Breath" (1994), "Fruit Cocktail" (1996), and "Shirts & Skin" (1997), based on his autobiographical book of the same name. Miller has performed throughout North America, Australia, and Europe.
Until February, 2000, Miller was artistic director and California Arts Council artist-in-residence at Highways in Santa Monica, a post he resigned due to Glory Box's touring schedule and related activism.
He gained notoriety as one of the NEA Four artists whose National Endowment for the Arts grants were rescinded in 1990. The four sued the agency and ultimately won reinstatements of their grants plus punitive damages.
Although the United States Supreme Court decided in 1998 to overturn part of Miller's case and ruled that "standards of decency" can be constitutional criteria for federal funding of the arts, Miller has vowed "to continue fighting for freedom of expression for voices of diversity."
Miller is also teaching his "Gay Men's Performance and Writing and Storytelling Workshop Intensive," which meets weekdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Waterfront Playhouse. Participants will conclude their session with an on-stage performance June 17.
Tickets and info: 294-5015.