NCNC minister's play honors breasts: An appreciation by Deborah Streeter

     I had never seen hundreds of bras decorating a church before.
     The occasion was a production of the new play "Breastify!" by NCNC minister and published author Lizann Bassham, which ran for several weekends this summer at both Community UCC, Sebastopol, and First Congregational UCC, Santa Rosa.
         The play is UCC through and through.  Written and directed by a UCC minister, performed by a talented group of young adults who came of age in UCC camps, the play names and honors the UCC ethos of openness, honesty about sexuality and support of women.

                                                                                      Lizann Bassham, author and director of "Breastify."
         As the psalmist writes (Psalm 22:9) : It was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother’s breast."
     Modeled on the award winning "Vagina Monologues," the play is a series of monologues based on true accounts from a wide range of women and men about breasts, bras, cancer, sexuality, friendship competition, love, and death.  There are songs, dances, humor and tears.
     And like "Vagina Monologues," "Breastify" has a social purpose, to raise awareness and money for breast cancer support services.  Bassham will share the entire script for free with other groups if they use it to raise money for local breast cancer support service.  Check out her website.  You can see many scenes from the play on YouTube.
     Full disclosure: over a year ago, when Lizann wrote a wide circle of folks asking for breast stories, I submitted one from my early feminist, women in religion days.  We created a sacred circle ritual modeled on the goddesses of ancient Crete, who would cup their breasts in their hands as a symbol of power.  We modified the custom of "testifying," which derives from placing a hand on one’s testes as proof of the truth of your word; hence women’s (and eunuch’s) word did not stand in court.  Of course, we chose to "breastify."
     I am honored and humbled that my story became the title and thread of the play, and even the basis of a song!
     The play is a delightful and humorous romp through stories of first bras, first sex, first diagnosis of breast cancer (for both women and men) and first loss of mothers and others.  A highlight is the tap dancing breasts and the many bad puns, like "Thanks for the mammaries" by the barbershop style men’s group.
     It is profound to experience this play in a church.  Not just for the bra decorations, although that was pretty amazing.  (Some members at one of the churches expressed concern, not about what the non-church attendees would think, but other church members; a cast member said, "Don’t worry, they’ll get over it."  And they did.)
     Most of the cast are UCC church folks, many of whom met at NCNC camps, where Bassham has provided leadership for over 30 years.  And this work, along with her other writing, Lizann experiences as a calling, a ministry.
     A moving ritual near the end of the play gave audience members a chance to breastify themselves. An actor said, "We invite you to think about someone whose breasts have been important in your life.  It could be you and your own breasts, the woman who fed you as an infant, someone upon whose breast you laid your head for comfort, a lover in whose breasts you delighted, someone in whose breasts cancer grew.   We invite you to tell those stories to each other, to friends, and if you would like, by coming forward and pin a pink ribbon up here on our set.   Come forward and take two, one to pin, and one to take home to remind you.   Come forward and pin a ribbon and return to your seat knowing that your story has been Breastified." 
     At this summer’s performances an offering was take for the Ceres Community Project, that teaches teens about cooking and eating healthy food by having them prepare nourishing means for folks dealing with cancer.  Since 2007 Ceres’ teen chefs have cooked more than 55,000 free meals.
     Bassham calls the play "sometimes painful, sometimes, silly, ultimately uplifting!"  I agree.