Three women-using the devices of a camera, a violin and the spoken word-will form the collaborative centerpiece of Disgraceful Productions’ “Friends With Fire Arms: A Farewell to Feminism,” opening Friday at Chicago Filmmakers, 1543 W. Division St.
Written and directed by actress Paula Killen, the multi-media production features original music by Miriam Sturm and cinematic contributions by Katy Maguire. A series of vignettes depicts the relationship between the women and their different experiences and perceptions of the same events.
“It’s about three persons in their 30s who grew up together and, due to different circumstances and personalities, see the world very differently,” Killen said a few days ago. “But they were all raised during a period where feminism was, for the first time, part of the conscious overhang.”
Killen herself will play the role of the voracious Mona, who has been burned so many times, her nickname is Fire Arms. Filmmaker and videographer Maguire will appear in her film as Drew, a cerebral voyeur who speaks her mind through the images she creates.
And Sturm-who will be going to New York to write the music for the 50th anniversary of “The Glass Menagerie”-will be on stage playing the violin as well as the role of the striking Vivi, a lesbian who has been raised by Gypsies in a middle-class suburban neighborhood.
(The production will get under way at 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 7 and 10 p.m. Saturdays and 7 p.m. Sundays, and is scheduled to run through Aug. 28. For reservations, call 312-384-5533.)