MORGANTOWN — M.T. Pockets Theatre kicks off it’s 20th season with the original piece “9 Before IX,” written by Fairmont State University’s Dr. Francene Kirk. The production is set for 8 p.m. Saturday.
Five years ago, Dr. Kirk began interviewing women who were educated before Title IX, the law that bans discrimination based on sex, was implemented in public schools. Her interest in the subject came from a conversation she had with her mother, a woman whom Kirk dearly loved but “didn’t want to be like.” In that conversation, Kirk asked her mother if she ever thought about not marrying. She relied, “No, but I didn’t have the options you have.”
The culmination of this oral history project is “9 before IX,” an “informance.” For 90 minutes Kirk inhabits the women she interviewed, weaving together their stories with her story and the information she gleaned while teaching a gender studies course. It leaves you pondering how far women have come and how far we will have to go.
Tickets for the show range from $7-$15 and can be purchased online at MTPocketsTheatre.com. Tickets can be purchased at the door when seating is available. M.T. Pockets Theatre is at 203 Parsons St., in the old Woodburn School Activity Center, next to the Boys and Girls Club. Free parking is available in the lower lot off Charles Avenue.
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