Truth Serum Productions

"events by and for big-brained people" since 1995

Wreckage: The Contest Show will run Sunday December 9, 2007 at the Milky Way in JP. One Show. $200 prize. One night. Everyone has some kind of wacky talent. Everyone needs some cash at the end of the year. Get your act together and come join us, you could be crowned Boston's Biggest Wreck if you're lucky.

Please register via email if you want to compete by November 26, 2007. We are looking for, encourage, and welcome all genres of performance (music, drag, spoken word, hoolahoop, dance, acrobatics, comedy, burlesque...) from all genders of people, whether straight or queer.

Contest rules:

competitors must register to perform by November 26, 2007
competitors must be prepared to present 2 numbers each 4 minutes or under.
everyone can make/take tips (so bring your friends out!)
Professional performers are not allowed to compete. We define 'professional' performers as someone who makes most of their income from performing, or someone who produces their own shows, or someone who makes more that $50 a gig for performing. This is up to the discression of the producer of the contest so please check in with us if you have questions.

A motley crew of judges will judge you on 5 criteria:
1. creativity/originality
2. costuming
3. presentation
4. craft/skill
5. audience response (so bring your friends out)
scores will be added together and the highest one wins.
if you are presenting a talent or genre that doesn't fit into these criteria, the judges will figure out an equitable way to judge you.

We take trashiness very seriously. Wink Wink.

The 2006 contest was run with 6 monthly preliminary rounds and a run-off at Great Scott in October. Here are the details of winners.

Some people have said this stuff about our stuff:

"Boston's dearth of gay stand-up is no laughing matter"
Boston Globe September 23, 2005
"Gay men and women have traditionally not been part of [stand-up in Boston]," says Loren King, arts editor of Bay Windows. "Although I think a scene could easily develop, it seems we're being served just fine by groups such as the Theater Offensive, and some of the more out-there drag king and queen shows put on by [promoter] Aliza Shapiro."

Bay Windows April 28, 2005
"...Wreckage, likely the most surreal event Boston has to offer, remains a must see, where creativity and eccentricity rule the night."

Awarded Stuff @Night's "Nightlife Player's' list April 2004
"Aliza Shapiro of Truth Serum Productions holds the kind of events that spank stodgy old Boston firmly in the posterior with their edgy, often gender-bending creativity. Shapiro, along with her drag alter-ego Heywood Wakefield, makes it happen."

Wreckage was started by Truth Serum's Aliza Shapiro in February 2005 after TraniWreck proved to be sucessful and after Renee Farster aka Frankie Cocktail gave up the night she'd taken over from Bryan Szela aka Pheobe Klein who at one point had a show based on and named after Trannyshack in SF and a contest show that was decided by audience applause. Whew...When I took over the nights we started anew. I've just retuned from IDKE8 an international drag conference and performance weekend where one of the big topics of discuss was archiving our histories. As performers of avant garde, edgy, gendered, queer, or just "out there" stuff our histories aren't always included on the record. Making sure that TraniWreck and Wreckage's histories are on record is an important step toward visiblity. The names TraniWreck and Wreckage were my creation and will travel with me wherever I chose to produce them. TraniWreck and Wreckage as produced by Truth Serum and Heywood Wakefield will no longer be at Jacque's. We had an exellent run there, but we have a desire for greater adventures at larger venues. In the mean time, accept no substitutes!

Heywood Wakefield, Truth Serum Productions and TraniWreck spawn another amazing show! It's called "Wreckage: the contest show" (or Wreckage for short) and it's a show like TraniWreck, but also A CONTEST with 'amateur' performers and celebrity judges. Performers will compete $300 in cash. Wreckage will mix performances by the TraniWreck cast and other non-competing performers and special guests with numbers by the competitors and also witty remarks (a la Gong Show and American Idol) from the celebrity judges.

Press folks can find high quality, downloadable photos here.

need more info? afraid you'll miss an update? Get on the mailing list! want to volunteer? send a message to info @ truthserum.org (but close the spaces) and we'll hook you up.