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Helen Keller Wasn’t Real

Becky Bondurant

Performance Art, Solo Show, Storytelling & Spoken Word, Theater

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What happens when the people you love slip into a different feed?


A hereditary eye disease has narrowed the world of Becky Bondurant’s mother, a liberal, retired English teacher living in Trump country. In recent years she has become more outspoken on Facebook, where her posts sometimes feel pointed to members of the family.


Bondurant teaches high school English. In her classroom, a viral meme has convinced her students that Helen Keller was not real. When she tries to prove them wrong, she discovers that the version of Keller taught in schools conceals a far more radical and unsettling truth.


Placing these experiences side by side, Bondurant asks what it means to live in a moment when people who love each other can no longer agree on what is true.


Wry, incisive, and unexpectedly tender, this is a show about misinformation, family, and the fragile hope that we might still find our way back to a shared sense of reality—and the uneasy sense we may have to choose between staying in the feed and staying with each other.


 


Praise for Becky Bondurant’s previous work, Penis Envy


“Vulnerable and truthful... funny and inviting.”
— Chris Klimek, The Washington Post



“Funny, bold, poignant, and transformative... the best kind of monologue show.”
— Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, Broad Street Review



“Best of Fringe 2024... Bondurant is a virtuoso writer and performer.”
— DC Theater Arts



“A wholly original piece... hilarious and deeply affecting... clear, observed work.”
— Mike Daisey


 


About the Artist


Becky Bondurant is a writer, performer, and teacher based in Richmond, VA. Her solo show Penis Envy premiered at Capital Fringe 2024 and later toured to festivals along the East Coast, including the Philadelphia Fringe Festival and New York City’s Gotham Storytelling

Details
Run Time: 60 mins
Ticket Price: $20
Venue: The Louis Bluver Theatre at the Drake

Dates: September 17, 2026 - September 20, 2026

September 17, 2026 7.00pm

302 S Hicks St

General Admission: $20

September 18, 2026 7.30pm

302 S Hicks St

General Admission: $20

September 19, 2026 7.30pm

302 S Hicks St

General Admission: $20

September 20, 2026 3.00pm

302 S Hicks St

General Admission: $20


About the Artist

Becky Bondurant is a writer, performer, and teacher based in Richmond, VA. Her solo show Penis Envy premiered at Capital Fringe 2024 and later toured to festivals along the East Coast, including the Philadelphia Fringe Festival and New York City’s Gotham Storytelling Festival.

Accessibility & Content Considerations

Contact the Fringe Festival Box Office for up to date accessibility information.

This event is appropriate for ages 13+

Adult Language

Covid-19 Safety policy

This event does not require masks to be worn


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