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S. Bear Bergman is a writer, a theater artist, an instigator, a gender-jammer,
and a good example of what happens when you overeducate a contrarian. Ze is also the
author of
Butch Is a Noun
(Suspect Thoughts Press,
2006) and three award-winning solo performances, as well as a frequent contributor
to anthologies on all manner of topics.
"Ex Post Papa",
Bear's first touring solo performance, had its premiere in April
of 2002, and has since traveled all over the US, including stops at the
National
Gay and Lesbian Theater Festival 2002 (where "Ex Post Papa" won the award for
Best Socio-Political Play), and the National Transgender Theater Festival 2003,
where "Ex Post Papa" was a curated production.
"Clearly Marked",
Bear's next show, had its world premiere at the 2004 National Gay and Lesbian Theater
Festival, where it won Best Socio-Political Play and Best of the Festival before
beginning its North American tour. Hir most recent piece,
"Monday Night in Westerbork", also
premiered at the
National Gay and Lesbian Theater Festival, and commanded the
Most Promising New Work Award, making Bear the only artist ever to win judges'
awards at three Festivals. On the stage, "Clearly Marked" and "Monday Night in
Westerbork" are still touring the country, inspiring and enlightening audiences
across the US and Canada.
On the print side,
Butch Is a Noun
began selling briskly months before its release
and has garnered generous praise from such luminaries as Kate Bornstein, Carol
Queen, Hanne Blank, and Ivan Coyote. Butch Is a Noun has quickly been adopted
into classrooms, doctoral theses, book groups, and teaching moments in a variety
of places, but Bear is most proud of the places where it lives on the bookshelf
right next to someone's reading chair or bed, getting slowly and fondly
bedraggled.
Bear is also a frequent lecturer and at colleges and universities regarding issues
relating to gender and sexuality, and has advised the staff of numerous institutions
on their policies regarding transgendered and transsexual students. An observant
Jew, Bear also speaks extensively about how hir religious and cultural lives have
shaped one another, and the intersection of identities, especially as it relates
to being both Jewish and queer.
A longtime activist on behalf of anyone who wants to learn and be different at
the same time (particularly queer/trans youth and students), Bear continues to
tour and lecture about topics close to hir heart, pausing frequently to encourage
and admire youth activists. Less recently, ze was also one of the five original
founders of the first Gay/Straight Alliances, a frequent lecturer at high schools
and colleges on the subject of making schools safe for GLBT students, and a founding
commission member of what is now called the Massachusetts Safe Schools Project.
Bear also considers hir recent mastery of East Coast Swing a notable achievement,
but is aware that probably not everyone agrees.
Bear was educated at Concord Academy, Hampshire College - where ze studied solo
performance with Peggy Shaw of Split Britches Theater - and at the University Of
Massachusetts. Ze currently resides Toronto, Ontario where ze has set up housekeeping
with educator and activist
j wallace (and his
dog Levi Jane, who comes with the package) and pays frequent visits to a small,
treasured group of intimate friends and lovers.
Bear's work is/has been supported by sponsorship from The
Fund For Women Artists, the UMass Arts Council, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, The Millay Colony, and
the generosity of private donors.
Click to download
Bear's CV (updated semi-annually)
Click
to download a print-ready version of Bear's headshot
(34.5MB TIF, 2832 x 4256 pixels)
Click
to download one of Bear's alternative headshots
(696KB JPG, 1416 x 2128 pixels)
