An Affair to Remember

After a ridiculous affair — one that was fantastic and completely absurd and ultimately not what she wanted — Shana Cordon sat down and wrote the proverbial list of every single person she’d ever been with. In looking at her own love life, she found something tragically gorgeous and funny that set her on a path to writing A Brief History of Intercourse, which debuts at the Boulder Fringe Festival.

After talking to her friends about their own sexual adventures as thirty-somethings, Cordon realized they were trying to navigate a landscape of little rules and no “right way to do it.” The Ozzie and Harriet model no longer applied, and they didn’t have anything to replace it with. “It got me looking at history, and the thing I discovered is it has never been simple. It’s always been complex,” says Cordon. “Sure, there were rules and institutions, but a hundred years ago, I could have been married off at fifteen to a fifty-year-old for my parents’ land. We’re better off now because we have more choice. But it’s still insanely difficult.”

To explore that difficulty, Cordon created a show about an everywoman who loves sex but at the same time is searching for her happily-ever-after — and about the inherent drama and conflict in seeking those two seemingly opposite things. “Look into the structure of the word ‘intercourse,’ and it means connection and communion, so how do people find that in their lives? That’s kind of what the show is about, trying to have a sense of humor about it. Everyone has their horror stories. We’re all just doing the best we can, and we all need to tread lightly and keep on keeping on.”

The two-person show, featuring Cordon and Jim Walker, costs $12 ($10 for students and seniors) and debuted Saturday at the Dairy Center for the Arts’ East Theater, 2590 Walnut Street in Boulder; it plays again tonight at 9 p.m. For additional dates and information, go to www.shanacordon.com or www.boulderfringe.com.
Sat., Aug. 16, 5 p.m.; Tue., Aug. 19, 9 p.m.; Thu., Aug. 21, 9:30 p.m.; Fri., Aug. 22, 6 p.m.; Sat., Aug. 23, 9:30 p.m.; Sun., Aug. 24, 2 p.m., 2008