(photos by Jackson, words by Idaho)

Loud And Queer Cabaret: 2009 Part One Friday Night November 13.

Loud and Queer Cabaret can finally buy beer and get drunk with this marking it’s 18th year delighting queer and queer friendly audiences alike. For myself, the Cabaret represents much more than two nights of deep reflection, toe tapping live tunes, the hilarious and quite possibly the ludicrous….it represent the very true artistic soul of our wonderful Queer community.

What’s Loud and Queer Cabaret?

For those of you who have missed and truly miss out, here is the basic idea ( the event itself is anything but basic). Darin Hagen ( host, director and sound designer ) reads through tons of submissions from our diverse and talented queer community. Once he has settled and curated they gather a cast of fine actors ( not necessarily queer ) to perform the variety of pieces from excerpts of novels and poetry collections to short plays and spoken word pieces. They rehearse long and hard – one week- delving into character, story and meaning. At the hands of Harvey Anderson, Linda Grass and newbies to the event Nadien Chu and Branden Martin they bring to life the various characters, making it all look so easy and darn right fun!

In short Loud and Queer is a cabaret in the truest sense…a real variety show. With that said, of course I can not forget to add the inclusion of fine musicians and guest performers (like The Low Flying Planes and performer Ryan Cunningham) who so wonderfully step up on the fine stage of L’Uni Theatre at La Cite Francophone. To share their voices, their love for the queer community at large and most importantly, their personal perspective on gay life.

With nearly four hours of entertainment each night I can not express enough the joy it is to sit among a queer friendly audience delighting in tales and songs about our gayness, our differences, our struggles and our triumphs. To know there are individuals unafraid and strong to stand up for us all, to share, to make us laugh and cry, to provoke and of course, to entertain. It is a wonderful thing and I feel so grateful.

Also what fuels my gratitude is the fact I was invited to design this years environment…from dressing the walls in panels of gold, dressing the tables in black linen and flowery center pieces and suspending fluffly white clouds decked out with stars and disco balls…I feel I expressed my own personal homo flare in creating the gayest Prom atmosphere I have always dreamed of. And what a feeling to be included amongst these fine, fine artists…a feeling of community.

Loud and Queer Cabaret : Part Two Saturday.

Here came and went this years Loud and Queer to much success, laughter and tears!
Saturday night was certainly packed with entertainment from Edmonton’s Vocal Minority Choir to poems, short plays and musical guests.

Saturday night also hailed Michael Phair’s return as Darrin Hagen’s heckler.  It’s always such a joy to watch and listen to those two good naturedly tear each other a part…I couldn’t help but laugh with both shock and enjoyment.  It’s important to mention that I am very certain it’s all in good fun!

The energy in that room was undeniably fun…people were really ready to be involved in the audience participation elements like hand clapping to the opening number by THE BOYFRIENDS ( who are so charming to watch).  The interview of Buck Angel was of course fascinating and hilarious.  With an interviewer like Susannah Patchouli it’s really tough not to laugh really hard out loud and engage with her subject.…

I walked away from both nights with a sense of accomplishment (having done the design for the event) but also with a greater appreciation of our diverse queer lives and our equally diverse queer talents.  I think perhaps next year I may finally bite the bullet and submit a piece of my own and may I suggest you do the same.

Kudos to all those involved in making this year at Loud and Queer a really special 18th birthday, from the cast to technical crew and the very appreciated volunteers and, of course, Exposure for making this year one of the best I have had the privilege to see.  I can hardly wait for next year!

-Idaho

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