Questions answered by Brock Hessel, Vince Rozario, Kumari Giles, and Mikiki
There’s always lots of great finds at the Rhubarb Festival including an instalment of The Bricks and Glitter Cabaret. The Reading Salon asked the organizers about this years event and why should book your ticket now!
What is the “A Trouble of Queers: The Bricks and Glitter Cabaret” and how is it different from the festival in August?
A Trouble of Queers is will be a little teaser of what’s to come in August at the second instalment of Bricks and Glitter, a grassroots 2S, queer and trans arts and culture festival. Last year’s Bricks and Glitter was a pilot project to gauge the needs of brilliant trans, queer, BIPOC artists underrepresented by larger queer festivals. It was and continues to be a response to the displacement of artists in the Junction and Parkdale due to gentrification and the crisis of venues for events that cater to marginalized queer people. For this cabaret, we asked a few of the artists we featured at last year’s festival (like Carolina Brown, Sedina Fiati, and Coco LaCreme) to perform the kind of uncompromising and badass queer art they’re known for—the kind that is at the very root of Bricks and Glitter. We also asked some artists that we really to hope to work with at this year’s edition (Mikiki and Monica Garrido). Mel Hague, the director of the historic Rhubarb Festival at Buddies, absolutely loved the work we did last year and wanted to give us a platform to promote the second edition months in advance.
How did the show’s title come about?
The show’s title comes from the first paragraph of the Bricks and Glitter manifesto: “We are a trouble queers who believe in creativity and collectivity, in imagining together a world worth living in. Intersectional by default and critical by necessity, we are trying to create a space for the future. Two-Spirit, trans and queer talent, ingenuity, caring, anger, and abundance.
The show’s title comes from the first paragraph of the Bricks and Glitter manifesto: “We are a trouble queers who believe in creativity and collectivity, in imagining together a world worth living in. Intersectional by default and critical by necessity, we are trying to create a space for the future. Two-Spirit, trans and queer talent, ingenuity, caring, anger, and abundance.
What is the most challenging part of pulling together this show for Rhubarb?
We had four months to organize last year’s festival which hosted 29 different events including an outdoor show. So, organizing this one-night cabaret is comparatively pretty easy.
We had four months to organize last year’s festival which hosted 29 different events including an outdoor show. So, organizing this one-night cabaret is comparatively pretty easy.
After experiencing the Rhubarb show, what do you want people to walk away thinking?
We want people walk away thinking how they’re going to clear the last 10 days of their schedules in August so they can come help us celebrate Two-Spirit, trans and queer talent, ingenuity, caring, anger, and abundance!
What is an “avant-garde slop queen”?
Let’s Mikiki answer this one:
Let’s Mikiki answer this one:
First of all, I’ve never said I’m avant-garde. “Slop queen” is mostly…staying true to roots as drag orphan (no mother!) and the only punk drag queen in the scene and wearing shoes that were way too tall and me spilling my drinks all over myself.
Friday, February 15, 2019
10:00PM
In the Cabaret, Buddies In Bad Times Theatre
TICKETS
TICKETS
Brock Hessel + Vince Rozario / curators
Mikiki Burino / host + performer
Carolina Brown, Sedina Fiati, Monica Garrido + Coco La Creme / performers