Two Woman Show
New York City, New York | Film Short
Experimental, Fantasy
Two Woman Show is an experimental short exploring the relationship between the conscious and unconscious through burlesque. The film bridges cultural identity, the psyche, and performance to invite you to observe your own relationship to desire & the Self.
Two Woman Show
New York City, New York | Film Short
Experimental, Fantasy
1 supporter | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$50
Goal: $5,000 for pre-production
Two Woman Show is an experimental short exploring the relationship between the conscious and unconscious through burlesque. The film bridges cultural identity, the psyche, and performance to invite you to observe your own relationship to desire & the Self.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Image from 10 Chic Showgirls who shaped fashion.
SYNOPSIS
The film nods to Soviet cartoons with a brief animation of a nesting doll. The matryoshka separates into five to depict the different stages of the burlesque performance and then comes back into one. The space is introduced with a performer weaving in and out of the curtains. Shortly after beginning her routine, the Performer's necklace spills onto the floor. This represents the illusion of the persona breaking. An observer is revealed in the audience, and the two characters embark in a fight for power as chaos ensues.
THE 5 STAGES
- Ego Realization
- Shadow Integration
- Anima & Animus Integration
- The Crone
- Self Realization
Adapted from Carl Jung's concept of individuation, the process through which a person develops a unique sense of self separate from family and early societal conditioning.
POV
Cat Marchenko and Emily Popovitz join forces for Two Woman Show to bridge their experiences of being first generation Americans, Belarusian and Ukrainian. Together, they create a shared vision of wholeness through the psyche and burlesque. With a background in theater and filmmaking, Emily loves storytelling behind the scenes and under the spotlight, while Cat prefers to be positioned behind the camera, interested in exploring elements of the seen & unseen throughout her work.
Cat: Me in the Russian choir whispering into the mic after begging my mom for me to not have to perform on stage.
CM: I grew up in the Midwest and spent childhood summers in Minsk, Belarus, so my upbringing was quite mixed in a sense. Because of that, I easily acclimate and adapt to new environments, so when I moved to New York City in 2020, I felt right at home. In the making of this film, I realized that I moved to New York around the same time my parents moved to the states. As I experienced the chaos of early adolescence, my parents dealt with the chaos of the USSR collapse. The film bridges these ancestral ties to some of my emotional experiences of identity dissolution, portrayed through movement, fashion, and music. In Michigan, I was involved in underground dance music, while time in New York has been spent photographing indie runway and experimental dance shows. I feel incredibly lucky and excited to merge these passions of mine and create a world of my own with Two Woman Show.
Emily: Sitting on my great grandparent’s bed at their apartment in Queens. (Many) years later, I spent some time searching for this exact bedding and eventually got it on eBay.
EP: The journey my parents took from the Soviet Union (now Ukraine) to New York was a long and difficult experience. I’ve always felt connected to a place I’ve never been to before. Being a Slavic woman comes with many traditional values, and living in New York grants me so much freedom to be myself and feel comfortable in my own skin. I feel so lucky to have grown up here, but I often hear a little voice in the back of my head telling me not to do certain things because it might be “wrong." Building a career in filmmaking is a privilege I do not take for granted, and I constantly remind myself of the sacrifices my family has made for me to live this life. Burlesque has given me agency in my adulthood that I am thankful for, and continuing to push forward is gratifying. I do immensely respect my culture and the women that came before me, but as a first generation American and eldest daughter, there are certain cycles that I feel need to break and end with me as I carry on with my future.
INSPIRATION
Persona, 3 Women, Cabaret, Inland Empire, Ritual in Transfigured Time, Black Swan
PRODUCTION + POST
Two Woman Show will be filmed in Brighton Beach, the Eastern Europe of Brooklyn, with a target date around *mid October. Post production is scheduled to be completed shortly after so the film can be presented at a Cabaret Show Screening. Beyond this performance, the film will be submitted to festivals and hopes to continue being screened. A select number of DVDs will be available for purchase.
WHY DONATE?
It is an incredible privilege for us to pursue our desires and self actualize as artists and filmmakers. Any kind of contribution or support helps us do so, and with this film, we hope to encourage the same.
Two Woman Show is fiscally sponsored by the From the Heart Productions so all donations are tax-deductible.
Your support helps us fund:
Performer
Observer
Director
Producer
Camera & Lighting Crew
Equipment
Editor
Animator
Composer
Choreographer
A Lush Event Space
Beautiful Costumes
Makeup, Hair, & Styling
Lunch for Production Crew
Screening with Live Performances
Follow @twowomanshow on Instagram to stay tuned.
Thank you!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera & Crew
Costs $3,000
This allows for our ideas to be translated into beautiful cinematography.
Crafty + Catering
Costs $500
This support helps us be well fed day of shoot, like our grandmothers and Slavic ancestors would want for us!
Cabaret Screening
Costs $750
This money will support the private screening and accompanying live performances.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Two Woman Show is co-created by Cat Marchenko and Emily Popovitz.
Cat Marchenko is a Belarusian-American director and photographer who moved to NYC from the midwest in 2020. For Two Woman Show, she draws inspiration from Persona, Cabaret, 3 Women, Inland Empire, and surrealist filmmakers like Maya Deren & Alejandro Jodorowsky. She is interested in infusing the surreal and spiritual in her work.
Emily Popovitz is a New York born Ukrainian-American burlesque dancer and cabaret show producer. She is originally trained in theater and has built a professional career in visual effects for film and TV. Emily loves storytelling both behind the scenes and under the spotlight.
Associate Producer Sophia Rooney is based in New York and brings her background in independent film development and distribution to Two Woman Show.
Director of Photography Meagan Wachtel is a Cuban-American New York based Director of Photography. She works primarily in narrative, documentary, and 16mm filmmaking. Her work can be viewed here.
Composer Former Actress is a New Jersey–based composer and recording artist whose background in performance informs her emotionally driven approach to film and fashion scoring. Drawing inspiration from classical composition, pure pop, and cinematic scores, she creates music that is both emotionally immediate and atmospherically rich. For Two Woman Show, she is crafting an original score that fuses Eastern European musical traditions with the hypnotic textures of Russian trance and the raw, deadpan sensibility of Soviet post-punk.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Image from 10 Chic Showgirls who shaped fashion.
SYNOPSIS
The film nods to Soviet cartoons with a brief animation of a nesting doll. The matryoshka separates into five to depict the different stages of the burlesque performance and then comes back into one. The space is introduced with a performer weaving in and out of the curtains. Shortly after beginning her routine, the Performer's necklace spills onto the floor. This represents the illusion of the persona breaking. An observer is revealed in the audience, and the two characters embark in a fight for power as chaos ensues.
THE 5 STAGES
- Ego Realization
- Shadow Integration
- Anima & Animus Integration
- The Crone
- Self Realization
Adapted from Carl Jung's concept of individuation, the process through which a person develops a unique sense of self separate from family and early societal conditioning.
POV
Cat Marchenko and Emily Popovitz join forces for Two Woman Show to bridge their experiences of being first generation Americans, Belarusian and Ukrainian. Together, they create a shared vision of wholeness through the psyche and burlesque. With a background in theater and filmmaking, Emily loves storytelling behind the scenes and under the spotlight, while Cat prefers to be positioned behind the camera, interested in exploring elements of the seen & unseen throughout her work.
Cat: Me in the Russian choir whispering into the mic after begging my mom for me to not have to perform on stage.
CM: I grew up in the Midwest and spent childhood summers in Minsk, Belarus, so my upbringing was quite mixed in a sense. Because of that, I easily acclimate and adapt to new environments, so when I moved to New York City in 2020, I felt right at home. In the making of this film, I realized that I moved to New York around the same time my parents moved to the states. As I experienced the chaos of early adolescence, my parents dealt with the chaos of the USSR collapse. The film bridges these ancestral ties to some of my emotional experiences of identity dissolution, portrayed through movement, fashion, and music. In Michigan, I was involved in underground dance music, while time in New York has been spent photographing indie runway and experimental dance shows. I feel incredibly lucky and excited to merge these passions of mine and create a world of my own with Two Woman Show.
Emily: Sitting on my great grandparent’s bed at their apartment in Queens. (Many) years later, I spent some time searching for this exact bedding and eventually got it on eBay.
EP: The journey my parents took from the Soviet Union (now Ukraine) to New York was a long and difficult experience. I’ve always felt connected to a place I’ve never been to before. Being a Slavic woman comes with many traditional values, and living in New York grants me so much freedom to be myself and feel comfortable in my own skin. I feel so lucky to have grown up here, but I often hear a little voice in the back of my head telling me not to do certain things because it might be “wrong." Building a career in filmmaking is a privilege I do not take for granted, and I constantly remind myself of the sacrifices my family has made for me to live this life. Burlesque has given me agency in my adulthood that I am thankful for, and continuing to push forward is gratifying. I do immensely respect my culture and the women that came before me, but as a first generation American and eldest daughter, there are certain cycles that I feel need to break and end with me as I carry on with my future.
INSPIRATION
Persona, 3 Women, Cabaret, Inland Empire, Ritual in Transfigured Time, Black Swan
PRODUCTION + POST
Two Woman Show will be filmed in Brighton Beach, the Eastern Europe of Brooklyn, with a target date around *mid October. Post production is scheduled to be completed shortly after so the film can be presented at a Cabaret Show Screening. Beyond this performance, the film will be submitted to festivals and hopes to continue being screened. A select number of DVDs will be available for purchase.
WHY DONATE?
It is an incredible privilege for us to pursue our desires and self actualize as artists and filmmakers. Any kind of contribution or support helps us do so, and with this film, we hope to encourage the same.
Two Woman Show is fiscally sponsored by the From the Heart Productions so all donations are tax-deductible.
Your support helps us fund:
Performer
Observer
Director
Producer
Camera & Lighting Crew
Equipment
Editor
Animator
Composer
Choreographer
A Lush Event Space
Beautiful Costumes
Makeup, Hair, & Styling
Lunch for Production Crew
Screening with Live Performances
Follow @twowomanshow on Instagram to stay tuned.
Thank you!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera & Crew
Costs $3,000
This allows for our ideas to be translated into beautiful cinematography.
Crafty + Catering
Costs $500
This support helps us be well fed day of shoot, like our grandmothers and Slavic ancestors would want for us!
Cabaret Screening
Costs $750
This money will support the private screening and accompanying live performances.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Two Woman Show is co-created by Cat Marchenko and Emily Popovitz.
Cat Marchenko is a Belarusian-American director and photographer who moved to NYC from the midwest in 2020. For Two Woman Show, she draws inspiration from Persona, Cabaret, 3 Women, Inland Empire, and surrealist filmmakers like Maya Deren & Alejandro Jodorowsky. She is interested in infusing the surreal and spiritual in her work.
Emily Popovitz is a New York born Ukrainian-American burlesque dancer and cabaret show producer. She is originally trained in theater and has built a professional career in visual effects for film and TV. Emily loves storytelling both behind the scenes and under the spotlight.
Associate Producer Sophia Rooney is based in New York and brings her background in independent film development and distribution to Two Woman Show.
Director of Photography Meagan Wachtel is a Cuban-American New York based Director of Photography. She works primarily in narrative, documentary, and 16mm filmmaking. Her work can be viewed here.
Composer Former Actress is a New Jersey–based composer and recording artist whose background in performance informs her emotionally driven approach to film and fashion scoring. Drawing inspiration from classical composition, pure pop, and cinematic scores, she creates music that is both emotionally immediate and atmospherically rich. For Two Woman Show, she is crafting an original score that fuses Eastern European musical traditions with the hypnotic textures of Russian trance and the raw, deadpan sensibility of Soviet post-punk.