2008 Woodie Awards
Tranny Roadshow: laughs and learning about defying gender norms
Megan Feil
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Features
Sara Eisenberg and Joe Pelcher, who organized the show at Guilford with the help of PRIDE, Senate, and Gender Equality Now, support this sentiment.
"Something that draws me into the (GLBTQA) community is the emphasis on individuality," Eisenberg said. "You have to come to find your own identity - that's the deal."
Though it's a collaborative show, the artists in the Tranny Roadshow concentrate on showcasing who they are as individuals.
"Being transgender is the linking factor between the performers, but it's more about who you are," Pelcher said. "It's about how that coincides and is affected by being transgender."
Jamez Terry, co-organizer of the Tranny Roadshow, compared his outlook on life to a flower boy at a wedding who confidently strutted down the aisle, not bothering to look back, and tossed petals into the air.
"Being married is like wearing a costume all the time, a costume of being straight," Terry said while dressed in his lion outfit from his own costume-themed wedding last summer. "Being straight is not as much fun as being a lion."
At the end of his act, he unzipped his costume to reveal a shirt that said 'felon' and jumped off stage, grinning and powerfully flinging flower petals from a basket as he walked up the aisle.
Not all performances pointed to transgender issues; some simply illustrated hilarious situations.
Red Durkin described a scene from her childhood as a backup vignette because of sound problems.
One day, she began to chase a rabbit, yearning to make a pet out of this creature in her backyard. "I realized why kids normally can't catch rabbits," she said. Approaching and picking up this rabbit only yielded bunny guts and blood on her hands.
"The Tranny Roadshow is about presenting transgender people as multi-faceted and multi-talented," Kelly Shortandqueer said after the show. "Being transgender is a part of who we are, but it's not everything. We want this show to be about any and all of the pieces of who we are."
Many people recognize the importance of this avant-garde show's place in the Guilford community as well as in the larger context of the world.
"It was an amazing show," said senior Sam Sklover. "That's what Guilford stands for: expanding on what gender and sexuality means."
"It's unfortunate that artists who make good art aren't allowed on stage because they are discriminated against," Pelcher said. "It's not an easy life and bringing them to a college campus is a wonderful thing."
"Something that draws me into the (GLBTQA) community is the emphasis on individuality," Eisenberg said. "You have to come to find your own identity - that's the deal."
Though it's a collaborative show, the artists in the Tranny Roadshow concentrate on showcasing who they are as individuals.
"Being transgender is the linking factor between the performers, but it's more about who you are," Pelcher said. "It's about how that coincides and is affected by being transgender."
Jamez Terry, co-organizer of the Tranny Roadshow, compared his outlook on life to a flower boy at a wedding who confidently strutted down the aisle, not bothering to look back, and tossed petals into the air.
"Being married is like wearing a costume all the time, a costume of being straight," Terry said while dressed in his lion outfit from his own costume-themed wedding last summer. "Being straight is not as much fun as being a lion."
At the end of his act, he unzipped his costume to reveal a shirt that said 'felon' and jumped off stage, grinning and powerfully flinging flower petals from a basket as he walked up the aisle.
Not all performances pointed to transgender issues; some simply illustrated hilarious situations.
Red Durkin described a scene from her childhood as a backup vignette because of sound problems.
One day, she began to chase a rabbit, yearning to make a pet out of this creature in her backyard. "I realized why kids normally can't catch rabbits," she said. Approaching and picking up this rabbit only yielded bunny guts and blood on her hands.
"The Tranny Roadshow is about presenting transgender people as multi-faceted and multi-talented," Kelly Shortandqueer said after the show. "Being transgender is a part of who we are, but it's not everything. We want this show to be about any and all of the pieces of who we are."
Many people recognize the importance of this avant-garde show's place in the Guilford community as well as in the larger context of the world.
"It was an amazing show," said senior Sam Sklover. "That's what Guilford stands for: expanding on what gender and sexuality means."
"It's unfortunate that artists who make good art aren't allowed on stage because they are discriminated against," Pelcher said. "It's not an easy life and bringing them to a college campus is a wonderful thing."
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