The Daughters mix up their ultimate potions for vitality and happiness during The Friday Club, a local cable television show, 1987. An early example of our knack for performing three individual pieces simultaneously. Photo credit: Rob Christman
Another classic Somebody’s Daughters shot, used promotionally for No Explanation: A Documentary in 1988. We worked with the genius duo Barbara Ciurej & Lindsay Lochman on several photo shoots, and they were always full of ideas and up for anything.
Don’t we look sweet? From On Sunday: A Terrorist Love Song, 1987, Club Dreamerz. Photo credit: Melissa Ann Pinney
On Sunday: A Terrorist Love Song, 1987, at Club Dreamerz. We’ve taken a member of the audience hostage, and are having some fun with him. Photo credit: Melissa Ann Pinney
Extravaganza Part 3: Confessionals, Confucius, & Samitches, at Chicago Actors Project, 1986. This shot shows again the backstage area that was part of the set for all four Extravaganzas. We would do our “conversational improv” there, riffing on our lives and dishing about the audience sitting in front of us. Photo credit: Charlie Seminara
Extravaganza Part 3: Confessionals, Confucius, & Samitches, at Chicago Actors Project, 1986. Have to admit that I don’t exactly remember what’s going on in this photo. Probably Kiki would know… Photo credit: Charlie Seminara
A piece from Extravaganza Part 3: Confessionals, Confucius, and Samitches at Chicago Actors Project, 1986. The flashlights we held provided some light as the stage lights were turned off during our dance. The darkness provided a measure of privacy for confessing our sins to the audience. Photo credit: Charlie Seminara
At ARC Gallery, 1985. We were aliens with mysterious and contrary plans, throwing a party for some human guests. We had to wear big mirrors to reflect energies away from our bodies. Note the sign hanging from the table—our low tech method for misleading the audience. Photo credit: Susie
At ARC Gallery, 1985. Here we are wearing our secret alien robes and guiding the cabbage planets on their paths. Soon the guests will arrive and the preparations must be complete. Photo credit: Susie
One of Anna's solo pieces for Extravaganza Part 1: Dirt, Food, and the Cleansing Influence at Link's Hall in 1984. Behind Anna, Kiki Bussell and Doreen Stelton interact in the "backstage" section of the set. Photo credit: Dennis Laszuk
During one of the ensemble skits nested within the larger ensemble piece, the Daughters tell tall tales of the camping experiences of their youth. Extravaganza Part 1: Dirt, Food, and the Cleansing Influence, Links Hall, 1984. Photo credit: Dennis Laszuk
I love this pic from the end of the first Extravaganza, Link’s Hall, 1984. We felt so proud and accomplished, standing there in our ridiculous outfits, smeared with mud. We knew we had created something new and exciting. Photo credit: Dennis Laszuk
Anna’s mom took this picture—can you believe it? We were on a path but didn’t know exactly where we were headed. This was taken in 1984 after we had been bar-dancing for some months—thus the marked change in appearance from our early shows. Photo credit: Frances M. Brown
The Daughters’ first performance, January 1981 at Exit Nightclub in Chicago. We were aspiring poets, dancers, actresses, trying to find a place in the local arts scene. Photographer unknown.