HOW TO DRAW A NEKKID MAN: Written and performed by Tricia Rose Burt; directed by Mia Rovegno. Running time: 82 minutes.
In this humorous, autobiographical one-woman show, visual and performance artist Tricia Rose Burt chronicles her unexpected journey from businesswoman raised in the South to contemporary artist living in New England. Using captivating snapshots from her youth and adulthood, she explores family upbringing, women’s roles, the creative process, vocation, and the struggle to lead a life freed from other people’s expectations.
Highlights of the show include a board room presentation detailing the “shoulds” of her upbringing (e.g., I should keep my place, I should defer to my husband, I should not show signs of aging), her teenage fantasy to be Bette Midler, a choreographed number as a high school “Dancero,” and the agony and ultimate liberation of her first drawing class. Throughout the show, Burt comically – and sometimes poignantly — documents her battle to lead an authentic life while under enormous pressure to conform.