Fairhaven alum to present one-woman-show 'This is My Body' this weekend in Bellingham

Anneliese Kamola, a 2011 alumna of Western Washington University's Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies, will perform her one-woman show this upcoming weekend March 11, 12, and 13. Kamola wrote "This Is My Body" in a Fairhaven performance class last March with Fairhaven visiting faculty member Drue Robinson. The show eventually grew into her senior project, and after graduating in June Kamola has expanded, edited and polished the show.

"This Is My Body" tells of Kamola's experience growing up in America and her multi-layered relationships with eating, food, her body, the environment and the wild. Kamola, a local storyteller with the Bellingham Storytellers Guild, weaves storytelling together with Viewpoints Theatre training, dance and poetry.

"I have something to say," Kamola says, "but so do we all, right? We all have a story to tell. This just happens to be mine: growing up in an over-working, under-expressive, self-conscious environment, and I turned to eating for comfort. It was awful, and a hugely hidden part of my life. But when I overheard people on the bus saying exactly the things I wrote in my show, and when my male friends listen and say, 'That's my story too,' I recognized that this experience is an unspoken part of our lifestyle and community. Something has to be said. We're not alone. And I know there are ways to come back home to our own bodies. I know because I've done it."

The money Kamola earns from the show will fund her travels to Europe this spring. She is following a life-long dream of retracing her family roots in Germany, Poland, Norway and Sweden and dancing and sharing stories in the lands of her ancestors.

"Our world is going crazy," she says. "I want to tap into my roots, ground and story, share myself in exchange, and then turn it all into a story to be shared with as many people as I can. We don't have to feel crazy. This time in our world holds incredible creative potential."

All performances are at 7:30 p.m. at Presence Studio, 1412 Cornwall Ave., in Bellingham. Ticket donations are requested at $20, but any donation amount is fine. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Community Food Co-op or at the door half an hour prior to the show. Call (206) 779-7554 with questions.