Twanna A. Hines, a sexual and reproductive health educator and creative entrepreneur, answers our questions about her Capital Fringe show at Arena Stage.
Where did the idea for your show come from?
Like every delicious thing — from french kissing to ménages à trois — you can blame this on the French! You know that slightly euphoric feeling of unconsciousness you get after an orgasm? The French call that la petite mort (the little death). That expression was on my mind as I wrote the show because it captures so many emotions at the same time. I think a lot of people feel overwhelmed and anxious about the state of the world. So, I want to talk about how we’re not alone in those feelings, and I want to share how to return to a place of joy. Let’s do this, DC!
What story are you telling in the performance?
Oooh, I’m telling quite a few! I don’t want to spill all the secrets because I want people to actually come to the show. But, I will say this … In my first show, I Füçkèd Your Country, I told the story about the first time I had penetrative, penis-in-vagina sex. I shared those sexy times with a half Danish/half British guy in England. I didn’t change his name during performances. I Füçkèd Your Country [Capital Fringe 2014] was my debut one-woman show and, honestly, I just didn’t know any better. Well, he found out about it because the internet is everywhere and his name appeared in reviews. He was really cool about it.
This time, although I’m still sharing a few sex stories, I’m not going to use anyone’s real names. Plus, this show is not about how I slept my way through Europe, it’s about finding joy — all of us, not just me. Sex can be a part of it, and there’s more it than that.
How did you find the title for this show?
Why is it important to you to do this show now?
Gallup came out with this poll that showed, right now, Americans are some of the most stressed out people in the world. I thought: Well, that sucks! Stress takes its toll on us. It makes us gain weight. It triggers depression. And it does a bunch of other stuff that generally makes us feel really crappy.
We all deserve better than that. I think I’ll feel like the play has served its purpose if folks sitting in their seats are able to let go of anxiety for at least a small portion of our 75 minutes together. We’ve got a lot of really great sponsors on board, so we’re giving out sex toys again. I mean, if the wonderful folks in the audience don’t find joy during the show, at least we can send a few of them home with toys that will help them later.
If you won a Tony for this show, who would you thank?
Trevor Noah. I swear to God his dimples must be made of unicorn dust, inspiration, and every other great thing on this planet. I mean, every time he smiles, I think: this is what happiness is. So, yeah, I would thank Trevor Noah for making me happy when I look at his face.
On a more serious note, because the Tony Awards are more diverse than the Oscars, I’d actually have a shot at winning one in a parallel universe — you know, the one where I’m actually an actor, not a storyteller. We’re All Going to Fucking Die! isn’t a play in the traditional sense, it’s a storytelling show. Very raw, and unscripted. I’m giving audiences the straight dope.
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What have you been learning about yourself during rehearsals?
I’m learning that I have so much respect for people who work in various aspects of theater. My sound designer for this show is the same person I worked with on the first show. I remember she was like: “What do you mean, you don’t have a script?” I didn’t really know what sound designers and lighting designers did. My background is in sexual and reproductive health, and I perform storytelling shows as I way to get the word out about various aspects of sex education. Last time around, I remember telling both my sound and lighting folks that I didn’t need a script because I was just going to tell stories. They were like: ?Fine … You’ll tell those stories in silence in a dark theater!
I’m so grateful they have been so patient with me. I’m a much easier person to work with this time around. For starters, now I know what lighting cues and sound cues are.
When the performance is over, what do you want the audience feeling or thinking about?
J-O-Y!
Twanna A. Hines (writer/performer) is an award?-winning sex and relationship educator. She has appeared on CNN, NPR, Sirius, CBC, Paris Première and in documentary films. She has written for ?The
? ?Guardian?, ?Al ? ?Jazeera, ?TimeOutNew? ?York?, ?Lifetime?, ?Mashable?, ?Nerve?, ?New? ?York? ?Press?, Fast? ?Company and ?The? ?Huffington? ?Post?. She is writing a memoir.
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