END OF PRIDE SPECTACULAR
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END OF PRIDE SPECTACULAR //
“Be Gay [Do Crime]: The End of Pride Spectacular” is the project's most significant annual performance, marking the end of Pride Month. This year, we’ll be styling the show as a “Diva’s Tribute Concert,” utilizing seven local drag entertainers and a creative team/crew made up of local students and queer artists. Our goal is to take the audience on a journey exploring queer history, uncovering the history of drag culture, and paying tribute to some of the medium’s most iconic influences to date.
THE END OF PRIDE SPECTACULAR:
A NEW PLAY
“A DIVAS TRIBUTE CONCERT”
BY MISS DEMEANOR
After the initial casting process, entertainers will work with the creative team to create numbers based on the prompt "Who is the most iconic diva in pop culture history?" Together, they will develop several highly theatrical drag numbers, pulling from multiple media sources such as music videos, recordings, live concerts, or other live performances by the artists to which the entertainer is paying tribute. In addition, the entertainer will work with the creative team to prep verbal arguments as to why their selection fits the prompt, which will be used as an introduction to their number when creating the show.
In addition to the standard digital and physical flyer marketing, to promote the show and give back to the Pittsburgh community, we plan to work with the City of Pittsburgh, as well as other local authorities in the area, to coordinate several street performances/free events during June where our ensemble of drag entertainers will perform a selection of numbers from the show. We’re also partnering with our former sponsor, Allies for Health + Wellbeing, to provide free pop-up testing using their mobile testing van during these events- further pursuing our mission of serving the queer community and helping deliver an essential service to those who may not know where to find those resources.
- Miss Demeanor/Patrick Mayoral (Host/Executive Producer)
February 7th, 2024
Throughout drag history, entertainers have always pulled from and emulated pop culture icons relevant to the respective entertainers’ time. Using this fundamental concept, for this year‘s End of Pride Spectacular, we plan to create an ensemble of seven drag entertainers and run them through intense ensemble lab training, regular Suzuki Acting training, and intense choreography rehearsals to make this devised theater piece. Each entertainer will have multiple numbers paying tribute to pop culture icons throughout queer history- as well as some of the most critical moments in that history itself.
The show has two main themes which resonate through its exploration of modern queer history (which we define as the Stone Wall Riots today for our piece). The first theme takes on influences of the culture, paying tribute to pop culture icons such as Ariana Grande, Madona, and more. The second theme focuses more specifically on queer history and culture, pulling from songs that could be heard on the dance floors during some of the most iconic moments in queer history, such as the Stonewall Riots or the AIDS Epidemic of the '80s and '90s.
Lady Inferno Diamond performing at EOPS ‘23 (June 24th, 2023)
Photo by Jeremy with www.freepride.org