Oraculum
December 1 – 14, 2024
A Buddies in Bad Times and Denim + Pythia co-production
Get a glimpse into the enigmatic imaginations of two of Canada’s premier drag artists. Denim and Pythia take you on a journey of self discovery and divine mystery, as filtered through the crystal ball (or computer screen) of an online psychic reading website. Combining performance, puppetry, and projection into an otherworldly spectacle, Oraculum pulls back the velvet curtain on gender and spirituality.
Come hang out and grab a photo with two of Canada’s premier drag artists, and the creators of Oraculum // DENIM + PYTHIA, after their show on December 10!
Please note the December 10 performance of Oraculum is mask mandatory (show tickets sold separately).
Masks will be optional during the meet and greet.
photography and treatment by Fran Chudnoff
Denim and Pythia // creators + performers
Lauren Gillis // ghostwriter
ted witzel // director
Cosette “Ettie” Pin // set, projection and lighting designer
Alessandra Cronin // projection associate
steph raposo // sound designer
River Oliveira // sound design associate
Pythia // costume designer
Jaime Lujan // costume design associate
Lisa Morrison // assistant director + stage kitten
Sandy Plunkett // stage manager
Denim and Pythia were selected by MAI to participate in a creative residency, offered in the context of the organization’s studio residency program. This program is financially supported by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec and the Ville de Montréal as part of l’Entente sur le développement culturel de Montréal, as well as by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Oraculum is part of Buddies’ Queer Voices Canada Series, presented with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Sunday, December 1 // 7:30PM (preview)
Tuesday, December 3 // 7:30PM (preview)
Thursday, December 5 // 7:30PM (opening night)
Friday, December 6 // 7:30PM
Saturday, December 7 // 2PM (mask mandatory + relaxed performance) + 7:30PM
Tuesday, December 10 // 7:30PM (mask mandatory performance)
Wednesday, December 11 // 7:30PM
Thursday, December 12 // 7:30PM
Friday, December 13 // 7:30PM
Saturday, December 14 // 2PM + 7:30PM
The performance on Saturday, December 7 at 2:00PM will be a Relaxed Performance. Relaxed Performances are designed to welcome audience members who will benefit from a more relaxed performance environment, including house lights being left on at a low level, more freedom to come and go from the space, and an alternate space to take a break from the show if needed. For those who will benefit from a relaxed performance, you can access $15 tickets to this performance by selecting a supporter ticket ($65), then inputting the code “RP15” at checkout.
You can read a bit more about the show and the relaxed performance in our show guide.
The performances on Saturday, December 7 (2:00PM) and Tuesday, December 10 (7:30PM) are mask-mandatory. All patrons must wear masks while watching the show.
Emerson Sanderson is a transgender autistic multi-disciplinary artist based in Montreal, QC. His practice mainly exists through video, textile, drag performance, photography, electronic and cyber arts, exploring themes of identity, toxic positivity, harm reduction, the act of surveillance and the cis gaze. Through persona and digital environments Emerson creates realities that allow him to have agency over his body. The aspects of costume, character development, satire and digital landscaping come together in his practice to create safe containers for queer and transgressive characters and ideas to exist. Emerson channels the majority of his artistic practice through a drag persona known as Denim, who was created as a representation of the hyper-feminine persona he used as a safety blanket before having access to medical transition. This process of experimental drag grants him the ability to create something physical and tangible from constructed, illusionary, and imposed gender and neurotypical stereotypes. Denim acts as a vehicle in which Emerson can perform identity fluidly and as ever changing.
Christos Darlasis is a first-generation Greek-Canadian costume and makeup designer as well as graphic artist and revered drag queen. His work spans in the forms of theatre, film, circus, photography and even drag performance, with his notable appearance on Canada’s Drag Race season 2, under the stage name of Pythia. His work reflects his keen sense of imagination and storytelling, whimsical style and obsession of capturing the arcane worlds of color, shape, texture and pattern and deciphering the ways we can amalgamate their fantasy and magic, into physical works of art. Christos has earned a diploma and graduated the Costume and Set Design program at the National Theatre School of Canada (2019) in Montreal, QC. He now works as a freelance artist mainly as a drag entertainer and content creator, with contracts ranging from costume design and styling for theatre, film, fashion, as well as photography and graphic design for both professional and independent artists, and companies. The characters, stories and visuals that unfold in his work, are a result of years of hard work and passion, culminating in whimsical and fantastic experiences, whether in a set, studio, or every time he sets his heels on stage!
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Dates & Times
Previews
December 1 + 3 7:30PM
Show Run
December 1 – 14
Tue – Fri 7:30PM
Sat 2PM + 7:30PM
