Guys in Disguise is an independent queer theatre company based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1987 by Darrin Hagen and Kevin Hendricks when they took their first show, Delusions of Grandeur, to the Edmonton Fringe.[1][2][3][4] Guys in Disguise is best known for comedic and drag-based shows and has been credited for "exposing the voices of the drag and queer community to a wider audience."[5]
Background
editGuys in Disguise productions include many premieres, many of them Hagen collaborations with such playwrights as Chris Craddock, Trevor Schmidt, Dana Andersen. In recent years, Jason Hardwick joined the artistic team, followed by Jake Tkaczyk.[1]
Guys in Disguise has been collaborating with Workshop West Theatre since 1991 to produce the Loud & Queer Cabaret, the first and largest queer performance festival in western Canada.[6][3][7] This annual event serves as a platform to nurture emerging writers. Following a three-year break, the Cabaret made a comeback in November 2014 under the name "Let Me Be Perfectly Queer![6]" It featured a lineup of 25 performances over two nights, which included the premiere of a new film by Brad Fraser.
In 1996 their play The Edmonton Queen: The Final Voyage won the Sterling Award for Outstanding New Fringe Work[8] and was subsequently published in book[9] form by Brindle & Glass Publishing.[10] The Edmonton Queen details Edmonton's underground drag scene in the 1980s.[11]
Influence
editIn 2021, a new exhibition at MacEwan University's John & Maggie Mitchell Art Gallery, "Dress & Escapism: Performance of Identity Through Drag and Burlesque Costume," featured the theatre company's mermaid tail costume, which first appeared in the Edmonton Fringe Festival parade in 1987.[12][13][5]
References
edit- ^ a b Nicholls, Liz (March 22, 2012). "Celebrating a glamorous 25 years; Drag troupe Guys in Disguise pushes boundaries of showbiz". The Edmonton Journal.
- ^ "1987 Edmonton Fringe Guide: Gone With the Fringe". Edmonton Fringe Festival. August 14, 1987. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
- ^ a b Nothof, Anne (2021-11-15). "Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia - Hagen, Darrin". www.canadiantheatre.com. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
- ^ Nicholls, Liz (2022-08-09). "The marriage of drag and theatre: Guys in Disguise celebrates 35 years at the Fringe". 12thNight.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
- ^ a b Gorsak, Paige (March 21, 2012). "Honouring a quarter century of queen theatre". The Gateway. p. 17. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Media, Odvod (2012-05-01). "Power Couples: Darrin Hagen & Kevin Hendricks". Edify. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
- ^ Nothof, Anne (2022-02-23). "Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia - Workshop West Theatre". www.canadiantheatre.com. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
- ^ "The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards 1996/97 Recipients" (PDF). The Sterlings.
- ^ Hagen, Darrin (1997). The Edmonton queen : not a riverboat story. Internet Archive. Edmonton : Slipstream Books. ISBN 978-1-895836-46-2.
- ^ Korneloson, Christina (1997-11-13). "Hagen's New Book Takes Readers Into the World of Drag". The Gateway. p. 8. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
- ^ Michelin, Lana (2016-12-28). "A gay Central Albertan ahead of his time - Red Deer Advocate". www.reddeeradvocate.com. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
- ^ Griwkowsky, Fish ( Jan 21, 2021). "Darrin Hagen is MacEwan's 2021 writer-in-residency, his mermaid tail on display". The Edmonton Journal.
- ^ "Dress & Escapism: Performance of Identity through Drag and Burlesque Costume". Mitchell Art Gallery.