My rendition of Sirius Black recently caused waves of “titillation”…

Apparently my nipples alone can crash the whole damn system.

My body has been censored my entire life. Since age 7 I’ve been keenly aware of this weaponized female body of mine, and 33 years later I’m still being told to cover up, or else. My body is dangerous, inappropriate, not-masculine-enough-to-be-looked-upon-nude, yet too-feminine-to-be-left-in-peace-without-commentary. As FemBoyCreature my body is clearly meant to be made money off of — to shave, cover up, costume, and prettify in order to sell tickets, please. My actions against this mandate are absolutely battle strategy depicting dominant ownership of this body I like to think of as “mine”.

I don’t “play along” very well. My creative mind is disinterested in doing what’s appropriate over what I find to be playful and effective. I have more than once been erased from the historical record which social media keeps via photographs and video clips. I prefer to continue on my merry way followed by those who actually want to make meaningful change and understand that nothing ever shifted by pleasing the forces that be. Especially aesthetically, and especially concerning equality.

I performed twice this past week as Sirius Black from Harry Potter, in a HP themed show. My performance was a pretty traditional striptease. I transformed from Sirius, the man, into a dog by the end of the act — Sirius’s animagus form, Padfoot.

I didn’t wear pasties in my act.

This choice, apparently, broke someone.

This choice, apparently, made people wonder about whether the venue could lose its liquor license.

This choice, apparently, had some audience members uttering, “That’s awesome, soooo illegal, but AWESOME!”, under their breath while watching.

This choice, apparently, made such waves that for the four days between shows I couldn’t get a straight answer from my producers or anyone at the venue about whether I would be able to do my second show the same way. At the last minute before show call, I was made to submit an artistic statement about the choice to not wear pasties in order for there to be an unadulterated second performance. What male performer, may I ask, has been asked to do the same while performing topless in Cambridge, MA?

I hope my nipples can crash the whole damn system… I’d love to create my art as it occurs to me to make, and not deal with drama surrounding its presentation.

My Patrons are the people who helped me make this piece of art, and they are helping me create my next. For my next performance I’m playing “Anonymous”. It’s a benefit show fundraising for sex workers called “Herstory“,  and the theme of the show is artists playing historical Femme characters. My inspiration for this piece resonated in the well known words of Virginia Woolf, “For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” So I shall perform my piece in honor of the unnamed women and minorities who have been my ladder in this lifetime.

My Patrons have been sent a video of my Sirius Black performance. If you would like to be a patron of my work and receive videos, backstage glimpses, and the occasional writing which I don’t publicly share, please visit my Patreon Campaign and contribute. I post up to 6 times a month, and you can cap your donation if you need to. Thank you for your consideration — and a huge thank you to those of you reading who are already a part of my artistic funding team!

This past month I made a mask, hand painted temporary tattoos, and whipped up costume pieces, I cut my wig, trimmed down some new lace facial hair, and spent a tiny fortune on all the little pieces that go into playing this character effectively on stage, I choreographed, filled out paperwork, and I showed up to my day-long tech rehearsal on time.

I’ve performed bare-ass naked on Oberon’s stage before, pastie-less a number of times, and created art which has brought up way more contentious issues than the female nipple. This was the artist statement I submitted in order to perform the second show sans pasties:

I was just now forwarded your letter to the producers of the Potter Prom asking for my thoughts on the pastie issue. I am sending you what I replied to them with. I had also forwarded an entire letter concerning this incident with this information on Monday, hoping you would receive it then. I hope this suffices, I do not wish to change my act tonight. Please reply directly to me if you can, I am on a bus on my way to Boston.

Thursday, June 21, 2018
Dear _____,

The following is cut and pasted from my letter to the venue which I sent on Monday:

The choice [not to wear pasties] is an artistic one. My performance in the Potter Prom is a gender bending and shapeshifting comment on the body. As a trans artist with breasts who frequently plays male characters, I was absolutely invoking the idea of the meaning of the naked breast and gender expectations; also from the perspective of a character who stands up for his rights, the rights of others, and who challenges the authorities and the laws he finds immoral.

It was never my intent to challenge [Venue] itself. My understanding of the venue was that because it had a theater license, the artistic choices held within a theatrical performance were allowed, nudity being a common form of free speech. If I was incorrect about this, I apologize, and ask that the venue let me know how it functions surrounding nudity so that I might not make the same mistake again.

I prefer not to wear pasties tonight. 

Please let me know directly if that is unacceptable.
~Creature/Karin Webb

Maybe I’m all out of fucks about my nipples being an issue in public… I’ve been fighting this fight forever, and I’m tired. I am the only artist in the cast not to have any publicity photos to share from our first night of performance — I don’t even know why, considering there were ample opportunities in my performance where my back was turned, my clothes were on, or I was posed in a manner which obscured my un-adorned breast points. If Cambridge, MA and artistic associates, in the year 2018, cannot figure out how to embrace the “whatever gendered nipple” on stage, I have very little hope for civilization at large.

Help me fund my art, and I will continue to challenge what mores I am able to simply by breathing and creating in the body I was born into.

After the second show a very excited audience member made their way up to me and shook my hand, while out tumbled the words, “Thank you so much! Thank you for putting my gender on stage! I never thought I’d see that, thank you!”. I replied, “Your welcome, it’s my gender too.”

Play On My Friends,
~ Creature

Please support my work on Patreon, or for one time: Support the Artist or email me.
~Thank you.