The beehive

Nationality: British
Age: 75
Occupation: Retired
Residence: Los Angeles, California.
Performance Date: 04/18/16
Primary Language: English

Informant:

Liz was born in a traditional English household but grew up traveling around Southern England and the middle east because her father was in the Royal Air force. Her mother was a Nurse and her father a serving officer. She had two siblings a brother and a sister. Her family was not religious but consider themselves members of the Church of England.

Original script: “In the 60’s everyone had their hair in beehive that entailed going to the hairdresser and having it backcombed to death, it would stay up for a week sometimes! There was a report that a roach had got inside and laid eggs in the woman’s beehive.”

Background Information about the Piece by the informant: In the 1960 the beehive hairstyle was very popular among women. It is in this setting that the story takes place.

Thoughts about the piece: Like stories of spiders laying eggs in the body, this piece illustrates the fear of being invaded by creatures that live with, around and in us without our knowledge. It may also serve as an example of how vanity may be hiding something ugly underneath.

12th night

Nationality: British
Age: 75
Occupation: Retired
Residence: Los Angeles, California.
Performance Date: 04/18/16
Primary Language: English

Subject: 12th Night

Informant:

 Liz was born in a traditional English household but grew up traveling around Southern England and the middle east because her father was in the Royal Air force. Her mother was a Nurse and her father a serving officer. She had two siblings a brother and a sister. Her family was not religious but consider themselves members of the Church of England.

Original script: “On the 6th of January a cake is bake usually a fruit cake and inside the cake a bean was hidden, and the person who received the bean in their cake became the lord of misrule for the night. It was a general practice in Britain at the time. My father always got the bean and we were always disappointed because we were so looking forward to being in charge. I don’t know where they learned it from, just tradition.

Background Information about the Piece by the informant: Preformed on January sixth or the last day of Christmas in the Church of England and usually coincided with taking Christmas decorations down.

Context of the Performance: Preformed on the sixth of January.

 

 

 

La Descarnada

Nationality: Salvadorian.
Age: 37
Occupation: Housekeeper
Residence: Los Angeles, California.
Performance Date: 04/17/16
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: english

-La Descarnada (El Salvador)

Original script: “my grandfathers friend had a chilling experience with a beautiful and sensual woman who appeared in the desolate roads asking for a ride. When he asked where she was headed she said a few kilometers. Then she got in the car and began to touch and kiss him then something dreadful happened; the skin from her body fell off! He was found in a total state of confusion and a lot of people said La Descarnada is a bad spirit of a bad witch.”

Background Information about the Piece by the informant: Her grandfather believes the woman to be the witch “La Descarnada”

Thoughts about the piece: A lot of the Myths and tales from this area of the world seem to center around women and the evil behind there seductive powers. Perhaps they serve as tales of caution not to mess around with lose women or maybe deep down they express a fear of women.

 

English Proverb.

Nationality: British
Age: 75
Occupation: retired
Residence: Los Angeles, California.
Performance Date: April,14, 2016
Primary Language: English

Subject: Proverb

Original script: “ your geese are always swans”.

Background Information about the Piece by the informant: Liz was told this while she was at work after defending a colleague who had done a bad job.

Thoughts about the piece: The swan is a prominent member of Anglo Saxon folklore and are often associated with love, beauty and nobility.

Navy POW/MIA Table

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: student
Residence: Maryland
Performance Date: April 19, 2015
Primary Language: English

They are different everywhere, but all the items are the same.