Drama Desk Nominees + Dorian Awards expand to honor theater

by Nathaniel R

"Shucked" is a hit and leads the Drama Desk Nominations

Are there too many awards groups? We've often bemoaned the ever expanding roster. But, in a stunning feat of hypocrisy I'm personally excited to announce that I'm part of a new group. Or, rather, an already established group expanding to cover something else! So, two things to report. First the Drama Desk Awards (which honor Broadway and Off Broadway productions) and then a new theatrical wing of GALECA: The Society for LGTBQ Entertainment Critics. Several members of Team Experience are part of GALECA but the Dorian Theater Awards are a small subsection of that large group of national critics. In the inaugural year I am excited to be among its 31 charter members. We have covered Broadway (and random theatrical events) on and off over the years here at TFE but we've always wanted to make that a weekly happening so now hopefully we can make that happen.

But first the Drama Desk Nominations...

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HotDocs Corner: 'The Stroll' Reclaims the Narrative

By Glenn Charlie Dunks

We are looking at some of the movies playing Canada's beloved HotDocs festival. First up is buzzy Sundance hit, The Stroll.

The conversation around Jennie Livingston's iconic 1990 documentary Paris is Burning has been happening for many years now. The conversation that its white cis director profited financially and professionally from the lives of its black and latinx trans subjects who got very little out of its production. Whatever one thinks of it, it's hard to deny that as much as a film like The Stroll is needed today, it was also needed back then, too. Co-directed by Kristen Lovell and Zackary Drucker—two women directors who identify as transgender—The Stroll is the continued reclamation of trans stories on screen by those who have lived and breathed the life that it documents.

As you might expect, with this comes a lot of emotions to unpack. But Lovell and Drucker have crafted a film (the former’s first, the latter’s first feature after the 2021 series The Lady and the Dale) that reverberates for many more reasons than just representation.

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Drag Race RuCap: "Grand Finale"

CLÁUDIO ALVES: It’s over. RuPaul’s Drag Race has finished its fifteenth season, crowning one of its best winners yet while putting on a show full of musical interludes, political messaging, and gorgeous gowns. Though the excitement of lipsync tournaments à la season 9 is somewhat missed, the queens seem happy with a repeat of the season 14 format, where each finalist presents a solo number before Ru picks a top two to lipsync for the crown. Anyway, that’s a matter for later. First, dear Nick, tell me your general thoughts on the finale...

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Drag Race RuCap: "Reunited"

CLÁUDIO ALVES: RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15 is almost over, with the finale airing next Friday. This week, however, was time to honor the traditional reunion in the form of an extra-large 80-minute episode. If you’ve been following the queens on social media, you know these bitches have plenty to say, from tales of thievery to bullying accusations and everything in between. Not that this was an especially inflammatory reunion - too many dolls are level-headed individuals for that to happen. Sanity prevailed, drama abated, and it was still an entertaining chapter. If nothing else, it gives us an excellent opportunity to reminisce about the season and our coverage. What say you, dear Nick? 

NICK TAYLOR: It was a good time! The reunion had a fun balance of pure shenanigans, rehashing tensions from the show, and even some serious political ruminations on what it means to be a drag queen in the wake of so many drag bans across the United States…

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Drag Race RuCap: “Blame It On the Edit”

CLÁUDIO ALVES: I knew they were bluffing! Apologies for starting this RuCap at the end of the episode, but there was no other way this episode could end but with the whole top four moving to the finale. All that talk of a final elimination was always a baldfaced lie, a mere attempt at adding stakes to an episode with none. Whatever faint redundancy this chapter might exemplify, it’s inconsequential in the face of these bitches’ collective serve. But maybe I’m exaggerating, too drunk in affection to think straight. 

NICK TAYLOR: As the one of us who dared to believe that RuPaul would actually send a queen home this episode, I’m really happy I was wrong...

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