New York, NY -
Dubbed "the country's most off-beat, sick-adelic drag queen extravaganza," The Dixie Queen Road Show will make its debut on the main stage of the 2,500 seat Orpheum Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska on Sunday July 4, 2004, the first stop of a one-year national tour. "This is a show people will not soon forget," said Miles Christian Daniels, director of The Dixie Queen Road Show.
For the next year, The Lady Chablis (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) and The Lady Bunny (Wigstock: The Movie), will share the stage with the country's best local and regional drag queen personalities from each road show city. This is all part of a two-hour music and comedy extravaganza that also features screening of Dixie Queen, a one-hour documentary about Tara Nicole, a drag queen/transgender who grew up on a small tobacco farm in North Carolina. "Here is a wonderful opportunity to bring together both the straight and gay communities for not only an unforgettable evening of entertainment, but to also learn about a sub culture still seen by many as the 'last taboo'," said Daniels, who wrote, produced and directed the documentary. "The show unquestionably has crossover appeal."
In January of this year, The Dixie Queen Road Show premiered to a sold-out house at Thalian Hall, a 700-seat performing arts theatre in Wilmington, North Carolina. Daniels then made the decision to take the show to other cities across America. In addition to Omaha, other stops include Seattle, WA, Philadelphia, PA, Minneapolis, MN, Houston, TX, Cleveland, OH, New Orleans, LA and Miami, FL. "It's a winning combination," said Daniels. "In each city we book a prestigious performing arts theatre and - because of its neutrality - people who would not normally go to a midnight drag show at the local gay bar will come out to experience what those in gay and lesbian communities have known for years to be extraordinary fun."
Daniels also said he is excited about bringing The Lady Bunny and The Lady Chablis to cities across America. The Lady Bunny is famous as founder, producer and Mistress of Ceremonies of Wigstock, a Labor Day drag fest that attracts some 35,000 annually to New York City's Tompkins Square Park and was the subject of the award-winning documentary film, Wigstock: The Movie, shown on HBO. And, The Lady Chablis made her mark on America when she starred in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, first a New York Times best seller by author John Berendt, and later a major motion picture directed by Clint Eastwood.
The film, Dixie Queen, will be featured at this year's New York Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and has already garnered interest from cable networks. Dixie Queen has also been entered into national and international film festivals and has been screened in small markets, including in the United Kingdom, where - according to Hal Rifken, President of HM Rifken Productions in New York, filmgoers "loved it." "The United Kingdom had never seen anything like this before - drag queens with a Southern accent," said Rifken. "They just loved the voices and were intrigued by the religious, social and political aspects." And, Rifken expects more success as the film opens in larger markets and makes its rounds through the road show. "I have screened it to a small audience in New York and Los Angeles and people were fascinated by the characters in the film," said Rifken. "Folks in larger cities forget how interesting people can be in a small town."
The debut of The Dixie Queen Road Show is from 8 to 10 p.m. on Sunday, July 4 at Orpheum Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska. Tickets go on sale May 15 at the City of Omaha Civic Auditorium Box Office (402-444-4750) and through ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices range from $20 for gallery seating to $35 for premium.
For the next year, The Lady Chablis (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) and The Lady Bunny (Wigstock: The Movie), will share the stage with the country's best local and regional drag queen personalities from each road show city. This is all part of a two-hour music and comedy extravaganza that also features screening of Dixie Queen, a one-hour documentary about Tara Nicole, a drag queen/transgender who grew up on a small tobacco farm in North Carolina. "Here is a wonderful opportunity to bring together both the straight and gay communities for not only an unforgettable evening of entertainment, but to also learn about a sub culture still seen by many as the 'last taboo'," said Daniels, who wrote, produced and directed the documentary. "The show unquestionably has crossover appeal."
In January of this year, The Dixie Queen Road Show premiered to a sold-out house at Thalian Hall, a 700-seat performing arts theatre in Wilmington, North Carolina. Daniels then made the decision to take the show to other cities across America. In addition to Omaha, other stops include Seattle, WA, Philadelphia, PA, Minneapolis, MN, Houston, TX, Cleveland, OH, New Orleans, LA and Miami, FL. "It's a winning combination," said Daniels. "In each city we book a prestigious performing arts theatre and - because of its neutrality - people who would not normally go to a midnight drag show at the local gay bar will come out to experience what those in gay and lesbian communities have known for years to be extraordinary fun."
Daniels also said he is excited about bringing The Lady Bunny and The Lady Chablis to cities across America. The Lady Bunny is famous as founder, producer and Mistress of Ceremonies of Wigstock, a Labor Day drag fest that attracts some 35,000 annually to New York City's Tompkins Square Park and was the subject of the award-winning documentary film, Wigstock: The Movie, shown on HBO. And, The Lady Chablis made her mark on America when she starred in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, first a New York Times best seller by author John Berendt, and later a major motion picture directed by Clint Eastwood.
The film, Dixie Queen, will be featured at this year's New York Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and has already garnered interest from cable networks. Dixie Queen has also been entered into national and international film festivals and has been screened in small markets, including in the United Kingdom, where - according to Hal Rifken, President of HM Rifken Productions in New York, filmgoers "loved it." "The United Kingdom had never seen anything like this before - drag queens with a Southern accent," said Rifken. "They just loved the voices and were intrigued by the religious, social and political aspects." And, Rifken expects more success as the film opens in larger markets and makes its rounds through the road show. "I have screened it to a small audience in New York and Los Angeles and people were fascinated by the characters in the film," said Rifken. "Folks in larger cities forget how interesting people can be in a small town."
The debut of The Dixie Queen Road Show is from 8 to 10 p.m. on Sunday, July 4 at Orpheum Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska. Tickets go on sale May 15 at the City of Omaha Civic Auditorium Box Office (402-444-4750) and through ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices range from $20 for gallery seating to $35 for premium.
