Trans Day of Visibility Ball and Paris Is Burning
7:00 pm The Queen
8:30 pm Exhibition Ball presented by Van Vogue Jam
9:00 pm Paris Is Burning
Rio Theatre 1660 East Broadway @ Commercial
See one or see them both for one fabulous price!
Exhibition Ball entry included with all tickets
Rated 14A, content warning for language/profanity. Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service.
*Rio Theatre Groupons and passes are not accepted for this event.
*We recommend purchasing your tickets in advance at www.riotheatretickets.ca. If a screening or live event is not sold out, the remaining tickets will be available for in-person purchase at the Rio Theatre’s box office prior to showtime
Join us on March 31st, for an extravagant night of ballroom history in celebration of Trans Day of Visibility! To start the night off, we have Frank Simon’s 1968 trailblazing documentary, The Queen, followed by a very special exhibition ball presented by Van Vogue Jam. We’ll be ending the night with Jennie Livingston’s, Paris is Burning, making it the essential ballroom double bill. You do not want to miss this, darling!
THE QUEEN (Frank Simon, 1968 / 68 mins / NR) More than 40 years before RuPaul’s Drag Race, this ground-breaking documentary about the 1967 Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant introduced audiences to the world of competitive drag. The film takes us backstage to kiki with the contestants as they rehearse, throw shade, and transform into their drag personas in the lead-up to the big event. Organized by LGBTQ icon and activist Flawless Sabrina, the competition boasted a star-studded panel of judges including Andy Warhol, Larry Rivers, and Terry Southern.. But perhaps most memorable is an epic diatribe calling out the pageant’s bias delivered by Crystal LaBeija, who would go on to form the influential House of LaBeija, heavily featured in Paris Is Burning (1990). A vibrant piece of queer history, The Queen can now be seen in full resplendence thanks to a new restoration from the original camera negative.
PARIS IS BURNING (Jennie Livingston, 1991 / 78 mins / 14A) Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City’s African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion houses, from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women — including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza. Paris Is Burning brings it, celebrating the joy of movement, the force of eloquence, and the draw of community.
