A flash of lightning—boom … thunder reverberates throughout the halls of a decrepit mansion as a shambling creature rises and the mad doctor who brought it to life cackles with delight. It’s hard to deny that the classic cinematic take on Frankenstein is an instantly recognizable Halloween icon.
But this fall, Art and Soul SLO‘s Gray Gautereaux (who uses they/them pronouns) is aiming to bring that level of seasonal association to a different type of experience.
“It’s a crossroads of drag performances and theater—that’s probably the best way to describe it,” they said with a laugh. “It’s an event for the community put together by the community.”
The Night of the Living Dolls, which will be held on Oct. 20 at Bang the Drum Brewery, is organized by Art and Soul SLO as part of the group’s recent efforts to expand the type of events it puts on.
According to Gautereaux, Night of the Living Dolls is the brainchild of them and their partner, who both describe the show as part-scripted, part-introduction, and part-chaotic drag experience.
The show takes direct inspiration from the recent Barbie movie but adds a twist that caters more to the traditions of drag performance, with each of the drag performers playing a toy or doll that’s been brought to life.
“Our main character has a crisis of their beauty and identity,” they said. “But instead of going into the real world, they instead make a deal with the devil to get their beauty and status back, and that’s the main plot.”
Its structure is somewhat unorthodox, according to Gautereaux.
“We worked together on this script and submitted it to some voice actors online who then provided us with the dialogue that these actors will lip-synch to tell the story,” Gautereaux said. “There will also be solo drag performances, like a traditional drag show, and some preplanned choreography.”
Why have prerecorded lines and choreography for a drag show? Gautereaux said they wanted to highlight how accessible drag performances have become in recent months.
“In SLO, we have a bunch of fresh drag artists, so we wanted to allow them to represent what drag is becoming,” they said. “It lines up with Art and Soul SLO’s goal of creating artistic and queer creative spaces for expression and fun.”
It’s not just the drag performers who are new. Gautereaux said most of the crew—whether makeup artists or set designers—are also new members of the Art and Soul community.
They noted that it’s been an enlivening experience to create this show and to play one of the starring roles.
“Initially I was just involved to help support the performers, since I have my drag king persona called Jackson Havoc, but as I found myself in charge of coordinating the event, I also found myself playing the role of the lead,” they said chuckling. “Havoc brings this real chaos and havoc to the stage, so I am very excited to showcase that persona as part of this.”
Gautereaux said they are most excited to see the audience’s reaction to the way the performers showcase their choreography.
“I wasn’t sure how the choreography of this was going to go, if I’m being honest, as it is a combination of my ideas and some concepts from online,” they said with a laugh. “But the performers took that and it turned out extremely well, and now anytime the dolls are onstage and they are doing their routine … that’s exciting to watch play out.”
They noted that this isn’t an event exclusively for those in the queer community—Gautereaux wants the public to know that this is for everyone.
“Of course, Art and Soul SLO prioritizes creating safe spaces for queer and BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and people of color] people but this event goes beyond that,” they said. “Anyone who just wants to see something different, cool, and local has their chance to with this event.” Δ
Staff Writer Adrian Vincent Rosas is ready for spooky season. Reach him at arosas@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Pet Issue 2023.