- Duckie (group)
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Duckie is a collective of performance artists that describes itself as “a post-gay independent arts outfit.”[1] They produce a mix of so-called "cultural interventions", such as club nights, new-mode pop, burlesque and performance events, as well as anti-theatre experimentation. They have described their work as "mixing the arthouse with the dosshouse" and putting "highbrow performance in backstreet pubs and lowbrow performance in posh theatres".[2]
Contents
Background
Supported by grants from the British Council and Arts Council England, Duckie is based in London but has played in Berlin, Germany, Greece and Tokyo as well as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Blackpool Tower Ballroom and the Sydney Opera House. It continues to run cabaret and club nights every Saturday at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
The collective dates back to a club night called Duckie that started in November 1995 in south London pub the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, created by producer Simon Casson – also known as “Simon Strange” – and compere Amy Lamé. They were joined by DJs Mark Wood and Mark Johnston - who called themselves The Readers Wifes [sic] - and box office artistes under the name of “Father Cloth and Jay Cloth”.
Performance events
In December 2002, Duckie’s Christmas show at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern created the format of sitting guests at tables and offering them the chance to order short acts, using "Duckie dollars", from a menu.[3] This was recreated at The Pit at the Barbican in December 2003 as C’est Barbican. It won four awards including an Olivier Award for best entertainment show and returned to the Barbican in 2004.[4][5] The show toured to the Sydney Opera House as well as Berlin, Thessaloniki, Birmingham and Manchester.[6] In December 2007, this show was recreated as C’est Duckie! at the CSV Cultural Center on the Lower East Side, New York City.[7]
In 2006, Duckie created The Class Club at The Pit, Barbican, a piece of event theatre that asked the audience to pre-select a social class for themselves, dress appropriately for the evening and then enjoy a meal and entertainment for their chosen grouping.[8]
Leading cabaret performers Chris Green and Ursula Martinez have worked as part of Duckie, and it has also attracted performers such as Dusty Limits, Janice Connolly, Scott Capurro and Kiki and Herb.
Productions
- Buffont: A Promenade Performance for Pissheads, performed in April 2007 at Soho Theatre in London
- Gay Shame and Lesbian Weakness, the anti-Pride night that has run in some form since 2006
- Liverpool Vogue Ball
- De Trop
- London Vs. NYC
- The Class Club
- Nightbird, Part I and II
- Miss Lesbian Beauty Contest
- 1½
- The London History Promenade Performance Trilogy
- Kate Bush
- Julie Birchall
- C'est Barbican!
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.sohotheatre.com/pl1271crew267.html
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2002/dec/14/theatre.artsfeatures1
- ^ http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/5767/cest-barbican-
- ^ http://blogs.thestage.co.uk/shenton/2006/12/a-classy-evening/
- ^ http://www.barbican.org.uk/theatre/event-detail.asp?id=4358&pg=249
- ^ http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/17/arts/16sella.php
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2006/dec/21/theatre1
External links
Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment (2001–2025) Shockheaded Peter (2002) · Play Without Words (2003) · Duckie’s C'est Barbican! (2004) · Something Wicked This Way Comes (2006) · La Clique (2009)
Complete list · (1991–2000) · (2001–2025) Categories:- British theatre companies
- Cabaret
- Performance artist collectives
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