Agitprop cum variety show. In the style of the classic USO concerts, U.S.O.ver was a performance series that satirically indicts our current reality with a gaudy, star-spangled carnival of excessive zeal, fear, and nationalism worthy of the first year of the 2016-2020 presidency.
U.S.O.ver seeks to create events that serve as safe/fun community spaces for healthy and artful protest. We held our inaugural event on January 19th, the advent of the presidential coronation, as one last opportunity to come together before the world changed. We held another to mark the passing of this very unique Presidents’ Day, and another as part of the Irondale’s month-long festival NOT NORMAL: Art in Resistance. Most recently, we partnered with Nasty Women Unite Fest to bring down the house at Joe’s Pub on November 7th for Election Day. Each time we gathered to laugh, reflect, and organize.
U.S.O.ver has included performances by Amy Virginia Buchanan, Maybe Burke, Samantha Corbin, Viva DeConcini, Dirty Martini, Funkrust Brass Band, Kim Gainer / Miss Minty Newport, Hotsy Totsy, Hwarg, Amy Jo Jackson, Joseph Keckler, Meta Phys-Ed, Julie Atlas Muz, Cristina Pitter, James Scruggs, Alexandra Tatarsky, James Tigger! Ferguson, Chris Tyler, Bi TYRANT, and many many more.
“U.S.A. is the slice of continent. …a public-library full of old newspapers and dogeared historybooks with protests scrawled on the margins in pencil.” -John Dos Passos, The 42nd Parallel