Gender Failure

• The dynamic duo of Rae Spoon and Ivan Coyote

There’s something powerful and seductive about being told a story, especially if the storytellers are as generous, personable and talented as Rae Spoon and Ivan Coyote. The dynamic duo wowed a packed-to-the-rafters crowd at the Bus Stop Theatre with their multi-media live show Gender Failure. Spoon and Coyote shared the spotlight, bantering back and forth, trading and layering tales about navigating through a world hell-bent on forcing people into gender boxes, and harmonizing on Spoon’s haunting electropop tunes. Both Spoon and Coyote are not afraid to dig deep and lay bare wounds that people have inflicted with cruel and careless words and deeds. But the message of the show, or at least the one I took away, is hopeful and uplifting. We are all on a journey to finding our place in the world, and Spoon and Coyote are blazing the path for others by opening hearts and minds along the way.