Oh, the things Clio would say if she could talk.
Love me, honour me, touch me — and do so without a shred of guilt.
But alas, Clio can’t talk. That’s because she’s a roughly three-foot puppet in the shape of a clitoris.
As such, Julia Muncs will have to do most of the talking for Clio. She’ll do just that starting next week.
Alongside fellow puppeteer and actress Hannah Pearson, Muncs is the brainchild behind CLIO — A Giant Clitoris Puppet Learning to Love Herself.
The roughly 40-minute performance makes its Vancouver debut Feb. 6 at the Art of Loving Sex Shop near Broadway and Cambie.
Muncs explains the plot as a being a bit of a mixed bag. Over a series of vignettes, it’s a historical trip, anatomy lesson, a purging of shame and, ultimately, a celebration.
“You’re seeing Clio discover things,” said Muncs, 24. “She can go on dates with other organs, like hands or other body parts.”
Clio’s coming into existence began in 2018, when Muncs and Pearson were students in Langara College’s Studio 58 theatre program. They established a female-driven theatre company called Puppets Not Patriarchy and wanted an in at the St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival.
Clio was the vehicle to get them there.
“Our idea for a show was pretty loose, but we based it off of our shared passions, which was puppetry and sexuality,” Muncs said.
The show’s talking points draw heavily on the work of American artist Sophia Wallace, who coined the term “cliteracy” close to a decade ago. Wallace’s efforts included a visual art campaign, TED talks and even a “clit rodeo” that saw participants ride an oversized clitoris as part of an art installation that resembled a mechanical bull.
The show’s been staged about 10 times out east, though it was smaller in scope. What was once more akin to a workshop is now a full production with a supporting cast and crew.
While on the topic of crews, Muncs is asked what her inner circle — family and friends — think of Clio, the show and Muncs’ willingness to take on a topic considered taboo by some.
Mom did the full 180, shifting from worry to super fandom. Men, by and large, think the show is the bees’ knees and offer little blowback.
“The people who have given me the most pushback have been women — the men have been like,‘This is awesome’ or ‘I didn’t know that’s the full size of it,’” Muncs said. “If women were taught that self-pleasuring is bad, or if they can’t take up space in the bedroom, that will add to that really mixed, nervous, confused feeling.”
This is where whimsy and humour give way to education and empowerment. Muncs wants women to unabashedly own their sexuality and be proactive in getting what they want.
And she wants an end to taboo and misinformation.
Translation: you won’t go blind, your palms won’t suddenly sprout hair and nor will you eternally burn in hellfire as a result of your pleasure pursuits.
Muncs casts a net as far as the day is long when describing her target audience, suggesting Clio is for “anyone with a clit or who engages with a clitoris, if you hang out with one, or if you’ve got one yourself.”
CLIO — A Giant Clitoris Puppet Learning to Love Herself runs Feb. 6 to Feb. 14. Show times vary between 8 and 9:15 p.m. and tickets range in price between $15 and $30.
For more info, go to puppetsnotpatriarchy.wixsite.com/website.
@JohnKurucz
