Monday, May 30

New Vision 4 Taste of Tantra Palooza

      We're counting down...Only 6 months until Tantra-Palooza! A life-changing Sacred Sex Fest with 11 Tantra Teachers! To celebrate, we're inviting you to gather and intensify your energy at this single day event, or a taste, before 11-11-11. Imagine a beautiful summer day out in nature on a healing land in Poway where we can meditate, dance, play, connect and snuggle with community. The first vision was to host a bunch of teachers and have a big buffet of lots of mini-workshops...but the more I felt into it, the more I saw us luxuriating in each other's company.

NEW VISION: I invited Shawn Roop to co-create a spacious day of conscious connection. Shawn and I have designed a deep curriculum for you to awaken, and emmerse yourself in evolutionary sacred sexuality! Bring your own lunch and also dish for our vegetarian community dinner. This is a full day of Tantric connection!

Date: June 11, 2011
Time: 11a to 11p
Where: Poway, directions with confirmation
RSVP: kalidas@blisscoach.com
Tuition: Only $50 for the whole day.
(or FREE if you sign up for Tantra-Palooza!!
  • Schedule:
  • 11am Opening Circle
  • 12pm- Exploration of Sexual Evolution w/ initiation
  • 1:15pm Lunch on the Land (Bring your own lunch)
  • 2:30pm A psychodrama style forum
  • 4:30pm God and Goddess Circle
  • 5:30pm Overhearing the Secrets
  • 6pm Evolutionary Sexuality puja
  • 7pm Community Feast (Bring a Vegetarian dish to share)
  • 8pm TANTRA THEATER SHOW!
  • 9pm Sacred Snuggle Party
  • 11pm Closing Circle
For more info about your guides go to:
Kamala Devi www.blisscoach.com
Shawn Roop www.TantraQuest.com
Tantra Theater http://www.tantratheater.tv/

Special Taste of Tantra Palooza invitation: Apply your $50 ticket toward Tantra Palooza 11/11/11 and pay only $547! Go to: http://tantrapalooza11-11-11.eventbrite.com/

Saturday, May 28

Not another self indulgent One-Woman-Show

     There is always a fine line between Art and Therapy, and when Tantra Theater is done right, that line dissolves. Generally we do this through 90 days of group psychodrama before inviting an audience into our process.  Now, I am furiously preparing to showcase my first solo performance in about a month.
     After about a year of research, development and procrastination, I've created a One-Woman-Show about the sacred prostitute. Because I believe in the power of deadlines, I booked a local theater in only FIVE WEEKS. That's hardly enough time to work through my self doubt, self consciousness and self judgment, let alone enough time to edit, MEMORIZE, rehearse and produce the hour long show.
     As a creativity coach, I'm used to midwifing artists through said resistance. In fact part of my job description, as director of Tantra Theater, is to hold the artist by the hand and remind them to speak their truth. "Who cares what your mother, neighbor, rabbi would say, a true artist is willing to be misunderstood!" Now, when I visualize myself standing naked on the stage (figuratively as well as literally) my mouth goes dry, my knees start to shake and I wonder, who's going to hold my hand?
     "What are you afraid of?" I ask myself, closing my eyes to inquire deeper. I allow feelings to focus beyond familiar fears of failure, not trying, looking like an ass, disappointing my fans, not living up to my own standards, sabotaging myself, or getting arrested and having child protective services take away my 4 year old son. To my surprise, my greatest block is ...drumroll please... fear of being self indulgent.  I got into theater to help other people, my inner critic says, nobody wants to see me get onstage and watch me heal myself, especially if they're paying for tickets at the door.
      I paid to sit through a whole litany of angry feminist rants in the name of self expression while studying performance art in college. When bored by what was happening onstage, I sat in the dark audience imagining a discursive spoof called: "Look at me, look at me, look at me!"   The unbearable thought of contributing another self indulgent peice to the already embarrassing list of obscure post modern solo plays, is why it has taken me over 15 years to finally create my own show.    
     I confess I would rather die than re-tell the story of my dysfunctional upbringing in public-- And this is from a woman who is constantly preaching about the value of vulnerability! So, the only way I gathered the gumption to get up there, is by telling other people's stories. I admit it, I'm too chicken shit to share my own, so I built a show around interviews with five women, my mentors. Now, I am sincerely honored that these powerful pioneers in sacred sex have entrusted me to share their intimate details about being arrested, nearly raped, judged and ultimately liberated. As I refine their powerful stories, I realize the potential we have to affect social change, but the only way to do that, is to personally affect the audience, which requires me to be vulnerable.
     This is the most ego confronting work I've ever encountered.  I've spent 3 years supporting other people step up to the stage to heal rape, body image, sexual identity, STD and other taboo issues. After several months scrambling for other performers and/or a different director, I am finally ready to step up and share these stories. And then, the plot thickened. Annie Sprinkle, pioneer performance artist and one of my interview subjects, insists that I do a self pleasuring scene onstage. Hell, If you're going to be self indulgent, do it all the way!
     Ha, ha, ha HA! (This is my awkward 'oh shit' laugh of disbelief.)
     Then I remember what Ellen DeGenerous's says in her one woman show. She used to go to therapy and ramble on about her neurosis, (you know, all the dissatisfying details that come with being human.) Then she thought, why pay a stranger to listen to her talk, when she can get a whole room of strangers to pay her to listen to her talk! But she's Ellen DeGenerous.
     And who am I?  I wonder. Can I truly get naked and strip off my defenses along with my lingerie? Can I take off the title of author, director, self proclaimed goddess, and just connect with the audience? In the last scene of "The legend of the Sacred Prostitute," Annie Sprinkle plucks off her false eye lashe, still breathing heavy after a great orgasm, while looking into the audience. Could I do that? And be authentic? Annie promises that the sacred part of prostitution comes when we are authentic. She coaches me to perform her invocation in my own voice, my own style. Could I cum onstage and not be attached to whether it was good for them, or if they will tell their friends that they think I faked it?
     I don't know yet how it's going to turn out, I haven't even finished the script, but now at least one thing is clear: I am willing to be self indulgent. And indulging in the self... feels damn good.

Tantra Theater presents The Sacred Slut Show opens July 7,8,9th $20 presale tickets $25 at the door. http://sacredslutseries.eventbrite.com/ The play is inspired by interviews with Annie Sprinkle, Mare Simone, Amara Charles, Veronica Monet, Tracy Elise and other anonymous sacred sex pioneers.

Monday, May 23

The BOHO SHOW in a Nutshell....

Cliff Notes for BOHO SHOW!
 Tantra Theater's director Kamala Devi opens the show with poetry from the Dead Sea Scrolls entltied Thunder, Perfect Mind. "I am Godless. And I am the one who's god is Great!" 
The Bohemian troupe goes on to introduce themselves with wacky personal ads. In sum, we're a motly bunch of poly tantrikas in search of double jointed, adventurous, kinky nudists for tea, yoga and deep conversation...wink. wink.

Heidi Neilson (AKA Kali Das)- Performs an original poem entitled Bohemian Rhapsody wherein she describes the dawn of her sexual awakening at her first Sacred Snuggle party.
Michael does a hilarious new rendition of "Orgasm Man" originally written and posted on Youtube by Comedy Inc. In this picture we see his orgasm mudra and advanced acronym: O.

James Schmachtenberger tells us about his unconventional upbringing in Life in a Laboratory. Here we see his first memory of seeing a vagina was when he was 3 years old and his nanny sat on the edge of the bed giving me an anatomy lesson.

Kassia shares the  magical  tale of how she healed her Love addiction. In a dream-like encounter with her fairy godfather we see Esteban activating her sacral chakra.  
In "Prince Charming", Esteban boldly breaks social taboos by humorously exposing his STD history.  In this scene Michael freezes warts off his hands with liquid nitrogen.
Katie Holton received a standing ovation for her performance called "The Full Molly." Here she sings Chantilly Lace at a Karaoke club at the Dinah Shore weekend.

Mankx explores the wild world of sexual role play with a blow up doll. In this scene, Gigi asks Mankx if he's willing to do a prisoner guard and prisoner scene, where she gets to be the guard.

In "I Know Why The Caged Cock Cringes" by Katie Holton, the audience get to experience lesbian sex, from dick's perspective.


Kamala Devi undresses in the "White Tigress," a performance art piece inspired by Quodoshka teacher and author, Amara Charles.  This piece is a preview from Kamala's forthcoming one-woman-show entitled: The Sacred Slut Series.  
Aknowledgments: Photos by Julie Kondor, Electrick Rick, Crew: Shawn Roop, Vilma, Maha Laksmi, Sarah Murray Novak, Janos, Monique Darling,Nate Darling, SheilaJoy Keller, Steve Bickell, Peter

Thank you for making it such a fabulous show! For details go to: http://www.tantratheater.tv/. Videos will be posted soon.

Wednesday, May 18

Do we offend you?

Sex Educators step up to the Stage, using 'Passion Plays' to Preach about Sacred Sexuality.

       Article by Kamala Devi, as commissioned by http://www.wordsarenotenough.info

      Before the weekend's big show, my husband and ran to a new salon for a last minute hairdo.  The innocent beautician asked, "What kind of actors are you?"
      Having established that she never heard of the Vagina Monologues, but watches Sex in the City, I tell her,      "I'm the director of a local theater troupe called, SD Tantra Theater. We a band of about a dozen sex-positive teachers and healers who use performance art to educate and entertain.
      Snip. Snip.
      "In a sense it's political because we are stepping up and talking about sexual taboos in front of hundreds of people."
      Blink. Blink. She stares at me blankly.
      "It could also be seen as our ministry, because we do everything in the context of ritual and our work is infused with a spiritual message."
      "But are you playing some kind of role?" She presses innocently.
      "I'm playing the role of a prostitute from ancient Egypt. My husband Michael is a man who can't stop orgasm-ing, we've got other players who tell stories about healing STDs, coming out transgendered, and even practicing sacred sadomasochism."
      "Wow." She continues, "Do you ever have to compromise your morals onstage? I mean, does your husband have to kiss other actresses--with tongue?"
      "Sometimes there is deep kissing and petting onstage. But that doesn't necessarily compromise our morals." I suggest. 
     "Are you like swingers?"
      "Sort of, some of our players prefer the term  "Open" "Polyamorus" or "Free Love."  Some of us are also, married, professionals, parents, activists and believe it or not a few of our players are practicing celibates. But nobody has to comprise their morals, because each performer is also an author, so the scripts are specifically designed to help the author heal the guilt and shame they carry around sex and spirituality."
"My dad still gives me a hard time about having sex before I'm married. Is that the kind of taboo you're talking about?"
"Exactly. Or that we're not supposed to masturbate in public, or tasting your own menstrual blood."
      "Ew. Gross."She glances at me in the mirror. 
      "Sorry, did I take it too far? Our performances are designed to be personal growth experiences because we say. What everyone else is afraid of saying, and then if you get offended we ask you to look at why your triggered."
      "Mmm. Interesting. You should write a book about it." She says, I think she's trying to change the subject. But I continue. 
      "Tantra can't be learned in a book. Even though I've written two books: Don't drink the Punch and Sacred Sexual Healing.  Tantra is not just an abstract philosophy; it's a direct embodied experience. Historically Tantra is an oral tradition and it involved the 64 temple arts such as dance, music, song, art... 
      Live theater is a perfect outlet for these teachings. Coming to our show is like going to a church service. We bring the community together, turn down the lights, focus everyone's attention, as we entertain and educate in fellowship. Laughter and tears can be healing when shared in a group. Our motto is: you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll come. Again and again."
      "How long have you been at it?"  
      Three years ago I gathered a group of friends, they were mostly improv performers who had varying degrees of experience with Tantra and we started by playing theater games in my backyard. I immediately recognized the psycho dramatic therapeutic potential of our play. Storytelling on topics of shameful sexuality was highly ego confronting and potentially liberating. The safety of this small group dynamic led me to wonder what was possible if we wrestled with our personal growth for 3 months and then took it to a larger stage.  The process is very organic, we just come together and tell stories every week, until eventually a show starts to take shape. This weekend is the graduation of about a dozen players who just finished 90 days of writing and rehearsing around the question: "what makes you sexually unique."  It's called our bohemian show. It is our sixth show. We've since traveled to conferences, performed at festivals, and offer hours of streaming video on our website: www.Tantratheater.tv
      I'm most excited about my forthcoming one-woman-show about sacred prostitution, entitled: the Slut Series. I'll be performing in North Park in July, 2011. I'm using dance, prayer and poetry to bring to life interviews of real life sacred whores. As with all our shows, there will be interactive ritual with the audience. In fact, one of our gifts is to ask audience to volunteer their stories and dramatize them onstage.  We find this gives people permission to see their sex as sacred and their life as art.
      By the end of my monologue, my hairdresser brushes hair off my shoulders and asks me what I think.  The mirror reveals a stylish new cut that looks just like David Beckham's wife.  The hairdresser is proud of herself, "It's sexy enough for your audience, but you can still pull off a soccer mom when you need to." 
      I thank her, and hand her a flyer that reads: "Sacred Sex is not just for the bedroom anymore." The boho show is May 20th &21st.  Doors open at 7:00pm TICKETS are only $20 pre-sale available online or and $25 at the door on the evening of the performance. For more information contact Kali Das TantrikaKaliDas@gmail.com or go to www.tantratheater.tv.  
To purchase discount tickets go to: http://www.partnerplayshop.com/page/page/8090608.htm
     Thanks for supporting the Arts. Hope to see you at the theater,
Kamala Devi

Friday, May 13

Nude, Lewd and Socially Unacceptable

 Warning: Content includes Lewd, Nude, and Socially Unacceptable Behavior. For those of you that can't read the fuzzy red print on the bottom of the poster, this show is strictly for age 18 and over.
We have only one week until the show. Buy your discount tickets here: http://tantratheater20th.eventbrite.com/

Friday, May 6

New Promo photos for the Bohemian Show

We, the bohemian Tantra Theater Troupe, gathered on Kamala Devi's birthday for a colorful photo shoot and marathon rehearsal. We are vulnerably and nervously working on original poetry, song and personal narratives that explore issues of:
Polyamory,
Transexuality,
Love addiction,
Sacred prostitution,
Sexually transmitted Diseases
and even Sado-Masochism.

Tantra Theater Presents:
THE bo-he-mi-an SHOW!
Writer/performers are pictured above from Right to Left. Kamala Devi, James Schmachtenberger, Michael McClure, Mankx Wilson, Katie Holton, Kassia Young-Walker, Heidi Neilson, Esteban Cisnez, and Akasha Rose. Photo by Julie Kondor.

2 showings of bo-he-mia:
FRI May 20th
http://tantratheater20th.eventbrite.com/
AND Sat May 21st!
http://tantratheater21st.eventbrite.com/
Tower Room at the Handerly Hotel (Hotel Circle, San Diego)
Doors open at 7pm Show at 7:30pm
$25 tickets at door. $20 if you buy online or from a cast member.
Wear your most bohemian clothing.
Space is limited to 100 seats, and usually sells out!
www.tantratheater.tv
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Monday, May 2

Tantra Theater Performs at 10th Annual Sexuality Conference


In this unlikely scene, San Diego Tantra Theater players: Akasha Rose, Kamala Devi, Michael, and Shawn Roop dramatize a sexual awakening story volunteered by unsuspecting audience member. There were approx. 150 people in attendance at this year's gathering for sacred sexuality professionals. It was the 10th annual conference for ISTA: International School of Temple Arts and Master Mantak Chia was the Keynote speaker.

Tantra Theater offered all new material for main stage entertainment on Saturday Night before the evening Play party. Shawn Roop starts off with an orginal piece which explores the question: "What do you tell people when they ask you what do you do?"  

Michael McClure AKA Eco-Elf, does a Hilarius reenactment of a popular tantra spoof by Comedy Inc.

Kamala Devi offers a dramatic interpretation of literature, a poem entitled "Thunder, Perfect Mind" from the Nag Hammid Library. 380 BC. And then we did Improv. Comedy based on a day in the life of Baba Dez Nichols.
After the scripted performance art, we did interactive performance art with the audience.
 

The highlight of the show was improvisational comedy created from an interview with Baba Dez Nichols. In this scene, Baba Dez tells about one of the first sessions he ever offered.



 Audience member Trish graces us with the juicy story of her first Amrita, and allows us to reenact it on stage.

 We closed the evening with a prayer and invitation to join us for more Tantra Theater at our upcoming show entitled "bohemian" in San Diego on Fri. May 20th and Sat. May 21st. At the Handlery Tower Room in San Diego. This event will sell out. For online tickets please go to: http://tantratheater20th.eventbrite.com/ For more details about Tantra Theater go to http://www.tantratheater.tv/
The End.
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