Qreatures is a humorous performance art piece that uses colorful costumes, props, puppets, music, audience participation, and a variety of guest artists to work within a narrated modular storyline created for the young at heart.

 

Infamous Alice followed the White Rabbit down a hole into Wonderland. In Qreatures, the main character is a non-binary child named Lex, who runs away and hides from bullies by taking refuge in a hole in a tree that turns out to be the magical entrance to the Queer Animal Spirit World. After passing a test administered by three guardians (worm, caterpillar, and snake), Lex is given permission to attend the Special Emergency Council of Queer Animal Spirits gathered together to address the urgent global threat posed by humans and climate change.

 

Audiences are invited to play the role of different animals in a special section of audience participation that proved to tickle all (just look at all the smiles in the photos).

Various special guests perform their own unique pieces as various animals, presenting their thoughts on what to do about the extinction situation until the final speeches are given by the Lion Qween and Butterfly. It’s a rather playful exploration of a very pressing and dire situation that ends on an uplifting note about the need for finding common ground, building community, and moving forward into a more sustainable future with courage, determination, transformation, and hope in mind.

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QREATURES: The (w)Hole Story was first performed at ACE/121 Gallery for the closing reception of the glendaleOUT Exhibition on Saturday, July 13, 2019, from 6pm-9pm. It started inside the gallery, then proceeded outside in their courtyard.

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An encore one-person version of the story was commissioned for a glendaleOUT LGBTQ family festival in May 2020, but was postponed due to the pandemic. The performance is available for adaptation for various groups, both youth and adult. 

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Photographs by Andrew Adam Caldwell

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Other featured performers: The Boyfriend (Barbershop quartet/trio), Dee Weingarden (Lady Owl), Mr. Voice Love (Birdie), Paul Manchester (Mouse), Nelson Munares (Snake)