Kathleen Denny presents
Reviews
Tolerance?!
at the
2019 Fresno Rogue Festival
Tolerance?!
Review in Kings River Life by Terrance McArthur
In engineering, tolerance is how far you can get from the goal without having everything fall apart. In Kathleen Denny’s Rogue show at the Revue, Tolerance?! is how much you’re willing to take before you have to take a stand.
Kathleen was an airplane machinist in the 1970s, a woman in a man’s building, breaking new ground, a second generation of Rosie the Riveter, and she faced a problem–a pin-up calendar that left nothing to the imagination. Could she put up with it? Should she put up with it? Would it cost her more to fight than the price of letting things slide?
She slowly builds her world, character by character, each in their own location on the stage, creating an environment that veers from unhealthy to toxic. People that should be on her side aren’t, what she thinks is right is perceived as being stubborn, and yet support comes in unexpected passages.
It’s a story of the strength that comes from within, and Kathleen Denny has that strength.
What audience members had to say
"Tolerance?! is a technical and precise anatomy of Kat’s complicated navigation through the thick fog of misogyny that shrouds her position as the lone woman machinist among her 400 male counterparts. Leaving nothing unsaid, she does right by herself and her fellow woman at each turn. Compelling, inspiring and damn impressive!" Maggie B
Tolerance?!
at the
2018 San Francisco Fringe Festival
What reviewers said
Wearing blue denim, black laced work boots and a red and white hair band Kathleen Denny takes us back to her time working in the machine shop - where she found herself the sole female. Imagine the atmosphere in such a setting before #MeTo and the possible changes in today’s work settings.
Injustice was not limited to being female. Van, a black man also experienced it and the two of them chatted. All the conversations Denny enacts have authenticity and the machine shop comes alive!
Denny is a compelling performer, physical with gestures and her delivery is fluid and nuanced. She describes vital machine parts that she is responsible for making, the precision needed. The characters are finely drawn by Denny through vivid descriptions and direct conversations. She lets her characters pull themselves into the question of tolerance by what they say and do. Denny is a female in a man’s world, standing up for her rights, and we can learn from how she does it. Recommended!
Jo Tomalin
What audience members had to say
“Inspiring, amusing, and authentic. A must see.” Houston, SF
“Complex and gripping story. Great insight and humor. I walked out feeling good about people.” Sharon, SF
“Her body language portrays so many characters convincingly.” Angela, SF
“Engaging. I left thinking about the different ways there’s much wider tolerance for men than women.” Jeremy, SF
“Heartening. Compelling!” Lisa, SF
“This show asks a fundamental question: What would you do to be accepted by the crowd? And each character has a very different answer!” Sherri, SF
“Finely drawn characters. A slice of life we all should see.” Irma, SF