Department Gender Inequalities in Recognition and Labor
Represented by Joan Esc

Department GIRL offers a platform for dialog and discussion regarding the role of women in mythology, stories as well as society.
The aim of this department is offering political and artistic space to the current woman equivalents of mythological characters.

Goals of the Department GIRLS’ mission:

1. Sharing the myths with people that can identify themselves as the characters appearing in them.
2. Experiencing sorority and solidarity with those characters.
3. Discussing together specific features of the myth.
4. Building up an all together a performance.

Project “RITTY MISSION”
The Project is based on the myth of: Pretty Ritty, The Conceited Little Rat, The Fussy Little Mouse or The Vain Little Rat.

 Summary of the myth:
A rat finds a coin while sweeping the steps of her house and she decides to buy a ribbon to tie to her tail. Then, many marriage suitors come to her and she refuses all of them because of the sound they make until a cat pops up. She likes how the cat sounds so she accepts his proposal.

Finally, the cat tries to eat the rat and she, depending on the version, either dies or runs away or marries a mouse.

Joan about project “Ritty Mission”
I would like to use the myth “Pretty Ritty” as a starting point for conversations with a collective that has been invisibilized for a very long time. I believe Pretty Ritty stands for all those people, mainly women, devoted to cleaning. The project takes place in Institut del Teatre in Barcelona’s Montjuïc mount and in the theatre academy Helsinki. As many other educational institutions is thoroughly cleaned by a cleaning patrol. Who are they? This is a proposal to document through video their work and their discussions about Pretty Ritty.

 Joan Esc
Born in Lleida, a small Catalan town, in May 18th 1989. Dedicated to drama as hobby since childhood. Socialised as a white cissexual man. Preferred pronoun: they.

Fagot as a choice and anti-capitalist as a need. A wannabe queer and feminist ally. They have lived in Lleida, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Helsinki and Barcelona where they live at the moment. They studied drama directing and dramaturgy in Institut del Teatre and Teatterikorkeakoulu. They found out interest in performance, feminism, gender studies and queer personal politics. They are trying to make a living out of their passions.

Life’s ambition: parenting and housework.