Reggi Regina performs at BEEF.
BEEF may not be the first all-drag king showcase ever, but the new monthly showcase brought to you by the Brooklyn-based drag collective Switch n’ Play is the first repeating drag king show that New York City’s seen in a long, long time.
A “roaming screening series” has set up shop in venues across New York City and unofficially dubbed July queer cinema month. Maybe you’ve seen the posters around town for Dirty Looks: On Location, which the organizers are calling “a series of queer interventions” in the form of performance art, but mostly cinema inside LGBT cultural landmarks, art institutions, DIY spaces, and even in places where the ghosts of queer past linger, like defunct bathhouses and former meeting spots. Screenings are showcasing not just classics of gay cinema but recent efforts by local up-and-comings.
Our little corner of the world is indisputably changing in a lot of ways. Some of that transformation is so very “ugh” for so, so many people. But hey, there’s a lot of posi stuff that’s happened across the country too, and these are developments that bode well for everyone. See: impressive new momentum for LGBT equality and lower crime rates, just to name a couple. In light of all these shifts, we’ve picked a handful of movies this week that might really get your gears grinding about societal evolution. Angst, provides an interesting example of a decline in certain forms of censorship while The Bronx Warriors is outlandish in its portrayal of a particular place that itself bears little resemblance to reality. And we’ve got a whole gaggle of films the demonstrate the real strides we’ve made when it comes to LGBT equality. And hey, even film itself is changing. Check these films and embrace it all, y’all.
Macy Rodman performing at the inaugural Bushwig. (Photo: TheThinkTheater Queer Photography)
Bushwick’s vibrant drag community is gearing up for the third annual Bushwig Festival—a celebration of all things drag that has grown from a small, one-day affair with just 30 participants to a weekend-long extravaganza featuring over 160 acts.
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he prolific Horsetrade Theater Group, which operates the Kraine Theater and Under St. Marks in the East Village, is getting even busier than usual, with a Summer Burlesque Blitz beginning July 18. Four days of live performances include GeekBoys (a “Nerdy-Burly review” with bearded strip-tease artists making pop culture references) and RAWR! Burlesque, which has performances in honor of classic cult films. Expect jokes about light sabers at either or both. Visit Horsetrade’s website for the full schedule, and read on for our July theater round-up.
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Chalkboard outside Exit 9
The East Village and the Lower East Side, both rich in LGBTQ and drag history, are essential neighborhoods to party in this Gay Pride weekend (and oh, what a week it’s been), and Williamsburg has recovered enough from Brooklyn’s own celebration earlier this month to be ready for round two. Read on for our lineup of Pride picks, including a Madonna dance party, a camp-themed rave, and not one but two rooftop pool parties at the Thompson LES Hotel.
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