Obsessions of a Showwoman

'Finally! A text that celebrates and explores the spectacular work of Marisa Carnesky. Too complex and profound to categorise, Carnesky weaves history, gender, class, theatrical tradition and the Carnevale to perform a radical questioning of ourselves and our worlds. Always fearless and fierce, yet tender and generous, Carnesky's work captivates, antagonizes, caresses and provokes, as all art should.'

-- Heidi James

'Marisa Carnesky, Our Lady of Illusions, has long stretched the limits of Live Art, always embedding a polemic in the vignettes that make up her attractions. Carnesky's chops were cut on burlesque, vaudeville and side-show circuits, and she continues to carve her own reality and create pivotal new contexts. Brava!'

-- Ron Athey

'Marisa Carnesky is a romantic, rebellious and radical figure in the early 21st century wave of British arthouse popular performance. From large scale spectacle to intimate confessional her work draws on forgotten theatrical legacies like Grand Guignol and Ghost Trains and puts them through a post-punk feminist mixer. This book is a brilliant parade of her canon, her influences and her co-conspirators.'

-- Simon Casson, Producer, Duckie

'Marisa is truly magic. Her performance work: political, visceral and spectacular, her understanding and passion for cabaret, circus and showgirl history, and her ability to bring together remarkable female performers are just some of the elements that have kept her at the bleeding edge of live art in the UK and beyond since the 1990s.

I am a huge fan of Marisa's tremendous ability to bring avant-garde ideas to pop culture arenas, from ghost trains to side shows. Live performance is an ephemeral medium, and Marisa presents yet another conjuring trick in committing these stories to paper, so they can live on for future generations.'

-- Amber Butchart, British Fashion Broadcaster

'Artists working with the mercurial liquidity of experimental forms of live art need books, books to capture and captivate, books to distribute and disseminate, books that celebrate and marvel, books that misbehave a little and defy easy categorisation.

This book glitters and glimmers with Marisa's multifaceted and extraordinary life work. It examines the multiple forms she has pioneered and stages the myriad voices of others, collaborators and interlocutors, as Marisa always has done within her works, creating and supporting communities of trouble, of art, or both.'

-- Kira O'Reilly, Artist

'Marisa Carnesky is mutha, mage, and mentor to an entire generation of performers. I cannot stress enough her impact as an artist and founding figure of the contemporary burlesque/performing art scene. No one marries the esoteric, the academic, and the profane like she does; she is pure magic, and I'm so glad this book exists.'

-- Ruth Ivo, Author