Click thumbnail for high resolution download. photo by Derek Kouyoumjian
pictured: top l to r: Frieda Fries, Heywood Wakefield, Becca D'Bus. bottom l to r: Johnny Blazes, Madge of Honor (missing: Stella Swingline and our crew of dedicated voluntters and DJs.)
TraniWreck started as a monthly show at Jacque's in August 2004. In February 2005 we added a spin-off contest show called Wreckage: The Contest Show. In November 2006 we stopped doing our show at Jacque's and moved on to bigger pastures. We did a contest show at Great Scott on November 20, 2006 and then we started doing TraniWreck at The Milky Way Lounge and Lanes in JP. The move allowed us to have a live band be part of the show and we incorporated that for a few months. In March 2009, The Milky Way Loung and Lanes closed and we lost our home. We did four amazing shows at The Middle East downstairs where our crouds hit the 450 people mark! We then moved to OBERON in Harvard Square and we're hoping this will be home for a long while! Check out our recent photo sets...the space is amazing and look stellar in it! We're really excited that The Boston Phoenix Readers Poll 2009 voted us Best Gay Night!
Check the photos section for history. Check the main page of Truth Serum for events. Get on the mailing list for up to date info.
Here's more history:
Truth Serum Productions and Heywood Wakefield have been producing this brilliant and successful show since August 2004. TraniWreck is an all gender, all genre, performance art cabaret/variety show. TraniWreck brings the best tranny, trashy, drag, and high femme talent to the stage TraniWreck spawned a spin off contest show called Wreckage: The Contest Show in February 2005. It ran for 6 months and culminated in a Final Contest and awarding of $500 in cash and prizes to Windsor Newton. The 2006 competition ended with Rik winning on November 20, 2006 at Great Scott. Hit the link above for more info. And always check the site for updates on shows and locations.
TraniWreck and Wreckage often include Drag King Heywood Wakefield (MC'ing, crooning the schlockiest, heart-wrenching, sappy love songs, and trying to find a date), Miss Nicholle Pride (feminist super heroine fierce queen), Nomi Sparks (genderbending high concept freakster), Ben Mauer (aka Vizible Gayze, our spot light boy who can't stay off the stage), Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova (aka Katya...the secret Russian bombshell), Myles West/Kerewin West/Hothead Hutton (two boys and a girl all from the same pint sized performance artist Alisia Waller), and newest member Miss Georgette (a little musty, a little crusty, a little wasted, but so much fun!).
and Mr. Lady is back from adventures from abroad, so you'll see her too.
Plus the cast answers audience questions and requests for advice (on any topic from personal to political, from fashion to behind the scenes drag gossip) in our special q&a segment.
Truth Serum, TraniWreck and Wreckage are committed to supporting our local performance scene as well as bringing in performers from afar. A little cross pollination is good for everyone! TraniWreck has featured many guest stars including (this is an incomplete list): Rainbow Frite (drag performer), Miss Pepper Mills (international burlesque star), Cycle Circus of Impending Doom (political puppetry from Vermont), Cassette (Boston's neo new-wave pop stars), U.V. Protection, Yours Truly (avant garde dance performance duo), Athens Boys Choir (Daemon Records), The Showman (Sammy Davis Jr. Impersonator), Thru the Keyhole Burlesque (traditional burlesque from Boston), Femmetastic Fatales Burlesque (queer, femme, punk burlesque from Northampton), Debra Kate (Drag King and musician, Berlin, Germany), Thalia Zedek (rock musician, Boston), Darlinda Just Darlinda (performance artist, burlesque star from NYC), Luster De La Virgion and Luster De La Virgion (drag king and queen from Columbus Ohio), The Cuntessa (from NYC burlesque and crotch puppets), Lisa Carver (punk icon, author, performance person), Dame Darcy (comic artist, writer, musician), the cast of Boston's Varietae, the Grindhouse Marionettes, Angela, Da Lipstyxxx (NYC genderbending hip hop dance and singing act), Mike Albo (award winning author, playwright, performance artist), Enya Buttox Drag Queen for Social and Economic Justice (NYC), Electro musician/visual artist Noel Weber, Taylor Mac (award winning performance artist and musician from NYC).
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."
Press folks can find other high quality, downloadable photos here.
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