Gerrymander

In late July of 2003, 11 Democratic members of the Texas Senate fled to New Mexico in order to thwart a vote on a Tom DeLay-proposed Texas redistricting the Republican majority was attempting to push through. The new district lines included some extremely convoluted shapes, prompting the Texas Democratic Senators to proclaim it a "gerrymandering" (after Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry, who in 1812 created a district so contorted that it resembled a salamander). For 30 days the Senators holed up in a budget hotel, while Governor Rick Perry and his cohorts did everything they could to force the politicians to return to the state.

Using this stranger-than-fiction political event as fodder, Striding Lion presents a live Spaghetti Western, replete with anti-heroes, Ennio Morricone-inspired live music, and athletic choreography, exploring the concepts of fairness and justice within our country’s seemingly polemic two-party political system. Don’t miss Striding Lion’s often irreverent, always energetic blend of politics and performance in this world-premiere production of Gerrymander!