Joe Goode first created “29 Effeminate Gestures” as a solo for himself in 1987 and the piece has since become a staple of gender studies in universities. In this adaptation for the screen, Joe Goode chose to combine elements from the solo to create a unique look at suppressed effeminate gestures and emotions. Set designer Ken Short and director Tim Boxell created a surreal car shop setting within the KQED studios. This film featuers performers Joe Goode, Liz Carpenter, Suellen Einarsen, Gregory Rolnick, and Peter Rothblatt with music by Erik Ian Walker.
“It’s not just about gender and sexuality. It’s also about masculinity and femininity. Hyper-feminine gestures, even on women, are treated by society with contempt and scorn. What is it that is so terrifying? Is it the overtly expressive nature of the response? Is it the extravagance?” — Joe Goode
This film was originally broadcast on PBS’s “Alive From Off Center” series. It is screened by permission of Twin Cities Public Television and KQED, Inc.
