Maren concludes Fairly a Maiden, a romance she wrote during her time at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. She also has a tribute to the memory of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and talks about her own journey to become a provocative female.
The music played during this episode:
- Guitar arrangements of Fantasia (Orlando Gibbons); “Revecy” (Claude Le Jeune); “Sia la noche” (Anonymous) performed with permission by Jon Sayles
- 6 Dances from Terpsichore Musarum (Michael Praetorius) found on Musopen https://musopen.org/music/45409-6-dances-from-terpsichore-musarum/
- Canzona “La Foresta” (Giovanni Cavaccio) arranged for brass quartet performed by Michel Rondeau – found on Musopen https://musopen.org/music/33104-canzona-la-foresta/
- “Love Learns By Laughing” (Thomas Morley) performed with permission by Maren Montalbano
Follow Maren on Instagram: @supermaren
Facebook: https://facebook.com/maren.montalbano
Tickets for the livestream Bodice Ripper Project show (October 2, 3 & 4, 2020) are available for purchase: https://fringearts.com/event/the-bodice-ripper-project/
Sign up for the Bodice Ripper Project newsletter and get exclusive behind-the-scenes photos: http://www.bodiceripperproject.com/
Purchase Maren’s debut book, Pandemic Passion: A COVID-19 novella on Kindle: https://amzn.to/3guGck0
Transcript
(orchestra tuning)
Hello and welcome to The Bodice Ripper Project, an exploration of sexuality, feminism, and the journey to self-empowerment through the lens of romance novels.
I’m Maren Montalbano, opera singer, coach, and writer.
In this episode, you’ll hear the stunning conclusion of Fairly a Maiden, a brief tribute to the late Justice Ginsburg, and I talk about how I am learning to become a provocative female myself.
So make yourself comfortable, loosen your bodice, and let’s begin!
(intro music plays)
Intro
Welcome. Thank you so much for pressing play. This is the Bodice Ripper Project.
I had a bunch of things that I wanted to talk about today, but this weekend, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away. I’ve been thinking a lot about her, and her legacy, and how she’s affected my life and my understanding of what feminism is.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a very outspoken feminist, but the other interesting thing about Ruth Bader Ginsburg is that she was a huge fan of the opera and a staunch defender of classical music and the arts.
A lot of people in my sphere, in the East Coast opera sphere have actually met her. I haven’t met her, but I know people who have, who’ve posted pictures of her and them, because she used to do some walk-on roles at the Washington National Opera.
She loved it so much. And there was so much love back and forth between her and the opera community. And so I feel that grief of her passing deeply, not just as a woman, but also as an opera singer.
Obviously I am just as concerned about what is going to happen next, who’s going to replace her. You know, the Brett Kavanaugh hearing is still very fresh in my mind, definitely left a bad taste in my mouth, both as a woman and as a citizen.
But this is not a political podcast, and I certainly don’t know the ins and outs of all of that; I can only give you my impressions and my experiences.
I think one thing that Notorious RBG has taught me is that there are many ways to be strong. You don’t have to hold office in order to find your strength. Maybe just standing in your own power and living authentically, that’s what the world needs. And I feel that I am very much embodying that now.
Maybe knowing how to impact the people around us, just in our immediate sphere, that’s how we can all change the world. She had a huge platform, so she could have a huge impact, but that doesn’t mean that having a smaller platform or just impacting one or two people in your immediate circle doesn’t make as much of a lasting effect on the world.
I truly believe that.
Another thing about Ruth Bader Ginsburg is that she certainly has made many enemies. I think anytime that you take a stand or you stand in your power, you’re going to trigger somebody. You’re going to provoke some response from someone, and sometimes that may not be a positive response.
I do think that that’s okay. I think that that’s how we all learn and change and grow, but certainly it’s not easy. And it’s pretty scary when people have negative reactions to your work.
I’ve been experiencing that recently, as I’ve gotten more and more visible about this podcast and about my show. I just got the final cut of my teaser video for my show, and I will share the audio for that at the end of this show, but, it is provocative.
And watching it makes me realize there are going to be people in my life who aren’t going to want to see this part of me. They don’t, they’re not prepared to see me embrace myself as a fully alive and sexual being.
A part of me is afraid that they’re going to react badly and maybe I will be shunned or maybe I will lose friends? I don’t know.
But then the other part of me says I have to embrace who I am, that sexual being. That’s what this whole project is about. That’s my true self. And I’m letting it out, you know? I’m ripping my bodice.
And maybe it’s not for everyone, but that’s okay, because I think actually doing that is giving permission for other people to live authentically too. That’s my hope. That is really why I’m doing this: so that other people can see this and go, “Okay. Yeah. I can do that. If she can do that, I can totally do that.”
Even though it’s scary, and even though I am worried about negative reactions, I want to take some inspiration from Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who unapologetically advocated for women’s rights and equality. And if she can do it, so can I.
So onto the Renaissance Faire. That’s sort of what I was going to talk about, mostly.
I was going to tell the story about how my husband and I met. I think I’m going to save that for another episode. Because it doesn’t feel right anymore.
But I do want to talk about what it’s like being a woman at a Renaissance Faire. Because in general, Renaissance faires , you know, they are very romantic, but there is a level of physical permissiveness in that culture that can blur the lines of consent.
I mean, think about it: conjure up an image of a Renaissance faire or anything that you might’ve seen on film or something like that, that has depicted a Renaissance faire. And probably one of the first things that come to mind are these bodices with sort of overflowing cleavage, you know? Like there’s a lot of cleavage that happens at the Renaissance faire, which is great. I am a huge fan of cleavage. I’m a fan of my own cleavage. But that can sometimes be a problem when people can’t control themselves or they don’t understand how to ask for consent.
As a 15 year old, I was working at the Renaissance Faire, and I was pursued by a 30 year old. I mean, he was twice my age, but he definitely, you know, charmed me and I felt very flattered.
I mean, there was this older man who was interested in me. And I was just starting to really step into my body and I was just growing. But then as a 30 year old, when I was working at the Renaissance faire, I saw other 15 year olds going through that same thing, being pursued by older men, much older men.
And I found it disturbing, because I realized in hindsight that I’d been manipulated. And, you know, that never feels good.
As a postscript, that same guy has over the years, tried to reach out to me, I guess to reignite something? I’m not sure. But most recently, he reached out in an extremely creepy email, that ended up with me just blocking him. And it made me think twice about starting this podcast.
I think that’s why I mention the whole negative reactions, or any kind of reactions: the fact that I’m doing something that is sexy and might provoke a response, and maybe that response is not necessarily the one that I want or expect. But I have to be okay with it. In fact, I am okay with it.
Here’s the thing. I’m creating these stories and I’m reading them aloud to you because they turn me on, and I want you to be turned on too. I’m not shying away from that. The place that it gets creepy, I think, is when someone tries to reach out and make a connection without understanding what my boundaries are.
It’s kind of safe to do this in my office with the door closed and just you and me and the microphone. My one-woman show, there’s going to be some video that I shot, and I, I was very vulnerable during my film shoot. There were only a few people in the room, but I felt safe with every single one of them.
I felt like I could rip open my bodice and let my true self out because whatever it was that was going to come out, it was okay. And it was perfect and beautiful.
I think too much, we shut that away because we’re afraid that we’ll be judged for the not so pretty parts.
We’re afraid that we will provoke a negative response. And the truth is, standing in your power, embracing who you truly are, will create a response in everyone.
But really living authentically, whatever that response is that you’re triggering in people, it’s up to them to deal with how to process that. You’re not responsible for it. I’m not responsible for any of the responses that you guys are having from me. I am just offering this up as an opportunity for you to explore something inside of you.
I’m opening myself up and showing you what’s inside because we’re all very beautiful and perfectly imperfect, vulnerable, and soft and squishy on the inside. I think the more that all of us become in touch with that soft and squishy part, I think the better the world is going to be. That’s my mission, I guess.
All right. Well, I think that’s enough for now. Let’s get to the story. When last we left our lovers, Rosemary and Esteban, they were about to get busy in the church when they were rudely interrupted by a drunken priest.
when he looked to his right, she was no longer there, and only her lingering perfume on the air betrayed the fact that it had not just been a dream.
Fairly A Maiden
Chapter 4
As the sly fingers of dawn crept across the horizon, Rosemary sat in her room, thinking about the stranger in the church. How could she feel such feelings for this stranger, but nothing at all for the man she was to wed in just a few hours?
And who was this stranger? Why was he here? His speech and dress indicated that he was a foreigner, probably from Spain, but why would he be here, at Longrock-by-the-Sea, at the very time that this partnership between Grace O’Malley and her father was about to be sealed? The more she thought about him, the more she found her hand wandering to her cheek, her neck, and all the spots of her body that his hands had been the night before. She felt warmth spreading from her head down to her toes, and centering on the nexus between her legs.
Just then, there was a soft knock on the door. Clutching her robe around her neck, she called just as softly, “Come.”
Rory McDowell peeked around the door. “I’m sorry to be bothering you so early, darlin’,” he said with a jaunty smile. His eyes twinkled, and he seemed amused at how tightly she was clutching her robe.
Blushing, she waved him inside. He would be her husband in just a few hours, but she still felt more like a sister to him than a fiancée.
He shut the door quietly behind him but made no move to come closer to her. “I have some bad news, darlin’,” he started. “I cannot marry ye.”
She just stared at him.
His Irish brogue got thicker as he furrowed his brow and tried to speak. He had met a fine woman, he explained, a beer mistress from the Holy Roman Empire, and he had married her in secret.
She knew she should be disappointed, angry even, but all she could think about was the way that stranger had kissed her in the church. What did this mean for her? What would happen to her now? And what would her father — oh God, what would her father say?
As if on cue, he heard her father bellowing from the hallway. “Rosemary!!!!”
Rory and Rosemary stared at each other. “Quick, hide!” she whispered, and Rory dove under her bed.
CHAPTER 5
Rory had barely made it under her bed when Rosemary’s father burst into the room. “Rosemary! What have you done?”
Rosemary’s face went white as a sheet. Had he found out about what happened in the church?
Squire Harold Fairfield’s face was puffy and red from running up the stairs. “Grace O’Malley is downstairs and says that her crewman McDowell has deserted. Something about running off to be with a woman named Ima Hoppengrapenstompen. This will ruin the deal! What did you say to the fellow?” He came at her angrily, and she backed away from him, towards the window.
“N-nothing, father! I swear!” Rosemary’s hair had fallen around her shoulders, and she had put her hands out in front of her. She saw Rory peek out from under the bed, and he now had a concerned look on his face. She shook her head slightly, and he retreated, but was still watching.
Just then, there was more commotion from downstairs, and the handsome stranger from the night before came striding into the room. Squire Harold turned on his heels, reaching for something to use as a weapon. “I say, this is most irregular!”
Esteban put a hand out to stay the old man. “Not nearly as irregular as what I am about to say.” He looked at Rosemary, and noticed that her robe had fallen open and was exposing her bosom. He took another moment to appreciate those heaving globes, then addressed her father. “I am Don Esteban de Jesùs Sanchez y Barajas. I was sent here by King Phillip of Spain to make a deal with the famed pirate queen, Grace O’Malley, but instead I have found myself in a quandary.
“It seems that you, Squire Harold, are about to marry your daughter to one of Grace O’Malley’s crewmen, but she seems to have lost him. If the marriage does not take place, then she cannot use your little town to move her…er…supplies, sì?”
Confused, Squire Harold nodded. “Si. I mean, no, she cannot.”
Esteban got down on one knee. “Sir, I cannot get your daughter out of my mind since I met her at the church last night. May I take the place of this Rory McDowell and take your daughter’s hand in marriage?”
Squire Harold could only stand there, his mouth agape.
Rory took advantage of the squire’s stunned silence to roll out from under the bed and run to the window. He winked at Rosemary, said, “You’ve got my blessing,” and scrambled out the window into the tree below.
Squire Harold still stood in the middle of the room, completely baffled, while his daughter rushed into this Spaniard’s arms and kissed him full on the lips. “Well, I suppose it is all working out in the end,” he mumbled, and left the room as quickly and abruptly as he entered it.
Esteban and Rosemary did not hear him, for their universe only consisted of each other. Before the door was completely closed, she was pulling off his doublet and he had slipped her robe off her shoulders.
It wasn’t until many hours later that they emerged from the bedroom, and the priest was waiting in the front hall to consecrate their marriage as quickly as possible.
“It was God that brought us together, mi amor,” Esteban whispered to her at the end of the ceremony. “Why should he care that we got the consummation out of the way before the rite itself?” She smiled, shook her head, and dragged him back to her bedroom so she could feel his heat inside her once more.
THE END
And I will leave it there.
I’m going to take the next week off. I am in high level production mode for the Fringe Festival, and honestly, I’m finding it increasingly difficult to find time for the podcast, both finding time to record, but also getting the music together, and editing, and all that kind of stuff, because it’s just me. And it’s really important to me that I give you guys a polished podcast.
So I’m going to be back on Tuesday, October 6th, because the last performance of the Bodice Ripper Project is on the fourth. And frankly, I’m going to need a day to rest and recover.
That episode is also going to be a little bit different because I’m going to make it a wrap up from the weekend of the shows.
The teaser audio that I have to give you is the trailer from my show. Here you go.
Definitely go to bodiceripperproject.com and check out the video. I am wearing all sorts of revealing outfits. So you will be disappointed. I’m stepping into my sexual being.
I had so much fun at that film shoot. I’m still riding high off of that experience. And every time I see myself on film, I am reminded that that is me, and I want to embody more of that. Be more comfortable in every aspect of my body.
As a reminder, this show is October 2nd, third, and fourth. It’s going to be a live stream. There are many interactive components to the show. There is a choose-your-own-adventure bit and also sexy Madlibs. So if you show up live, you can chat with me and you will be affecting the outcome of the show.
Tickets are $10 and they are available at fringearts.com. Just search for the Bodice Ripper Project. Or you can just go to bodiceripperproject.com and click on the “purchase tickets” link, about halfway down the page. While you’re there, go ahead and sign up for my newsletter.
Anybody who’s already on my newsletter gets reminders about the podcast when it comes out, and I also share different behind-the-scenes photos and stuff. So go ahead and hit that subscribe button.
And just one more time, so you don’t forget, the shows are October 2nd, third, and fourth. Those are both Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM, Eastern. Sunday, October 4th is a matinee. That’s at 1:00 PM Eastern. I am hoping that my European friends can watch there, because it is evening for you guys.
Tickets are available at fringearts.com. And I love hearing from you, always. If there was anything that struck you about this episode or any other episode, please reach out I’m on Instagram @supermaren. And you can go ahead and send me a DM.
The Bodice Ripper Project is a production of Compassionate Creative, and was conceived, written, and edited by me, Maren Montalbano. The background music during the story was all music written during the Renaissance and either public domain or performed with permission by Jon Sayles or me – and the theme music was also written by yours truly. If you liked what you heard, I invite you to give this podcast a 5-star rating – I’ll bounce up and down over and over again! – and I’ll see you next time.