XXXPERIENCE BOYLESQUE To Be Performed Throughout March
By: Reynard Loki Feb. 24, 2009
As a performer, emcee, party hostess, and event promoter Ben DeLaCreme has appeared in theaters and nightclubs from coast to coast ever since the fateful day in 2002 when s/he realized that normally unsavory behavior could be dressed up in fancy clothes and called "Performance Art." Formerly based in Chicago, but with lucite heels now planted firmly in Seattle, DeLaCreme combines hir background in the performing & visual arts with a love of spectacle, glamour, and Saturday morning cartoons to create a thick sludge of sparkly entertainment certain to stick to your ribs! When not at home looking for new things to glue rhinestones to, DeLaCreme can be found Emceeing and Performing in venues throughout Seattle, as well as teaching with the Academy of Burlesque.
Born and raised in the Gay Mecca of San Francisco, EmpeROAR Fabulous!!! found a love of Music and Theater at an early age, and has been addicted to performing for nearly his whole life. As soon as he turned 18, he was off to Seattle to attend Cornish College of the Arts, where he received a Bachelor of Music, focusing on Vocal Performance and Songwriting. After a while of developing as a musical act and years of pining to join the monster Burlesque scene of Seattle, EmpeROAR Fabulous!!! was fortunate enough to become a member of Tempest Burlesque, with whom he has performed with in Vancouver, Paris, Rome, and in local venues such as The Rendezvous Jewelbox Theater, ReBar, and The Green Room at Showbox in the Market. You may also have seen him at Chop Suey, The McLeod Residence, The Vera Project, The Baltic Room, and other stages in need of some Fabulous. You can see what he is up to and listen to his music at myspace.com/EmpeROARFabulous.
Ernie Von Schmaltz Ernie Von Schmaltz is a ladies man. Loves the ladies. He really enjoys treating the ladies to a real man; a real man that can perform. You ladies like a man that can perform, dontcha? Ernie can be seen performing, seducing women and taking off his clothes all over Seattle and surrounding suburban swing clubs. He's been entertaining the women publicly since the middle of 2005, but has been satisfying in private since the beginning of time... He and his babes, The Von Foxies have been around a few blocks together. The Von Foxies won the title of Best Troupe at the 2007 Miss Exotic World Pageant in Las Vegas, though Ernie wasn't there at the time. Rumor has it he was "entertaining" the local chapter of showgirls and dancers with his mustache ride abilities....Lately Ernie has been seen hosting Dr. Sketchys Anti Art School, various gigs around town and performing in venues like Theatre Off Jackson, The Triple Door, The Pink Door and the Rendezvous. www.myspace.com/ernievonschmaltz.
LouHenry Hoover LouHenry Hoover has been dancing since he was three years old. He directs The Launchettes (Century Ballroom's resident chorus girl troupe) and LAUNCH dance theater (a contemporary dance company). He teaches beginning ballet at Velocity Dance Center and social dance for queer and non-homophobic people at Century Ballroom.
Potato Potato has performed with Waxie Moon as "Harlequin" at On the Boards and The Hugo House (Next Stage) and throughout Europe as "Bavarian Cream". His favorite movie is "Curly Sue"
Waxie Moon Miss(ter)Waxie Moon is a gender bending queer lady "boylesque" performance art solo stripping sensation. He has performed at various venues throughout Seattle including The Seattle Repertory Theater, The Triple Door, On The Boards, The Heavens, ReBar, The Rendezvous, Club Havana, The Can Can, The Century Ballroom, The Bedroom Club, The Noc Noc, Balagan Theater (The Stay Up Late Show) and Columbia City Cabaret. She is a consistent performer at Burlesque Behind The Pink Door and is a featured performer in Land of the Sweets, A Burlesque Nutcracker at The Triple Door (performing both men's and women's roles). His solo performance, Waxie Moon: EXTREME Boylesque was featured at On The Boards (Seattle) in the Northwest New Works Festival. And her original play, Waxie Moon; Boylesque Cinematique was produced by Next Stage (Audience Award Winner). Other performance highlights include performing at Bumbershoot, receiving a standing ovation at the 2007 international burlesque festival-Tease-O-Rama (San Francisco), closing the 2007 12 Minutes Max series at On The Boards and choreographing House of Thee Unholy #2 at The Triple Door (produced by The Swedish Housewife). She routinely guest performs with The Atomic Bombshells and The Von Foxies (Miss Exotic World 2007 Best Burlesque Troupe). He is featured in the documentary film, A Wink and a Smile (directed by Deirdre Timmons, Golden Echo Films), is the subject of the documentary Waxie Moon (directed by Wes Hurley, I Ate My Eye Films) and can be seen (demonstrating tassel twirling) in a Twirly Girl Burlesque instructional video. She has performed "boylesque" for gay royalty, including Margaret Cho, Cyndi Lauper, Carson Kreseley (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) and the B-52's. S(he) has several popular short films (created with Wes Hurley) on YouTube. www.myspace.com/waxiemoon
The Solo Performance Festival was founded in 2007 by a group of theatre artists who wanted to support each other in producing their solo shows. The nature of solo shows is so lonely--why not band together. The history of solo performance has exploded over the last 20 years. It seems as though everyone has a solo show and why not? It is the most frightening thing an actor/creator can do: standing alone and speaking their truth (both real and imagined) and then suffer the consequences of owning it. When the bad reviews come out there is no one to blame and when the good reviews come out there is no one there to celebrate. The dressing room is empty and there is no one to laugh with about the lines that got flubbed. There is no way out. There is also a bigger risk for the audience. Generally the actor is looking right at you. The audience is the scene partner. The actor must listen to the audience and include them while not letting the audience and their yawns, clapping, laughing, cell phones and candy wrappers derail the show. At its best it is one person's voice, body and imagination taking flight and bringing the audience along for the ride. This festival was co-founded and curated by Keira McDonald.
Keira McDonald (Creator/Performer/SPF Founder & Producer) is a self-producing theatre artist who lives in Seattle. Her first one woman show “Showerhead” was seen at Mae West Fest, Odd Duck Studio, Re-BAR (Seattle, WA.), Frontera Fest (Best of fest, Austin, TX) UNO SOLO festival (Victoria, BC) and Manhattan Theatre Source’s EstroGenius Festival (NY, NY.) Her second one woman show “The Bridesmaid” premiered at The Comedy Tree (London, UK) and was featured at Theatre Off Jackson and CHAC (Seattle, WA.) and Bryant Lake Bowl (Minneapolis, MN.) It toured The Canadian Fringe Festival Circuit to sold out audiences in Regina, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Vancouver 2007. Her third one woman show 'BLAsT!' premiered at The Regina International Theatre Festival and toured to Winnipeg and Saskatoon. She is the Founder and Producer/Curator of Seattle's Solo Performance Festival (SPF) at Theatre Off Jackson which is about to launch it's third season.
Since being created SPF has produced the work of 31 artists from Washington, California, Alberta and Ontario (Canada.) The stories that have been shared have been about weddings, zombies, suicide, Boobs, camping trips, gloomy head masters, prodigal sons, the ethics of cat surgery, bombs, the seven deadly sins, condos, yoga retreats, horse obsession, shop lifting, maggots in your shoe and one Giant Invisible Robot among other things. SPF # 3 continues to take risks. This year we are partnering with:Local theater, dance and performance artists including both first time solo performers and veterans in “Shorties! An Evening of Short Solo Performance” (Wed-Thur Mar 4-5, 8PM)
San Francisco’s James Judd returns to SPF with “7 Sins” (Fri-Sat Mar. 6-7, 8PM)
The Burlesque Community: “xxperience Boylesque” curated by and featuring Waxie Moon (Fri-Sat Mar 13-14, 10PM)
Local playwright S.P. Miskowski’s “my new friends (are so much better than you)” featuring Morgan Rowe (Thur-Sat Mar 12-14, 8PM)
People’s Republic of Komedy presents “Theatre of Pain” (Fri-Sat Mar 13-14, 10PM)
Local playwright Keri Healey’s “Otter Pop” featuring Keira McDonald (Thur-Sat Mar 19-21, 8PM)
“xxplicit” by Seattle’s gender-bending queer boylesque performer (Thur-Sat Mar 19-21, 8PM)
London, Ontario’s J. McDonald presents his third show at SPF, “Fall Fair” (Thur-Sat Mar 19-21, 8PM)
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