It’s that time of year again for Theatre Du Mississippi’s Lustrous Lights event. Lustrous Lights is a show combining burlesque, cabaret, drag and pole dancing.
“It’s kind of like a cabaret of sorts or like a talent show where people have been creating these characters for however long or working on their specific piece for a while,” Kara Eggers, TDM’s managing director, said. “And this is the place for them to be able to come and perform that.”
Anyone is allowed to apply to be in Lustrous Lights and after each performance date, information about applying will be released.
“My first experience doing it was terrifying,” Raven Adank, a returning Lustrous Lights burlesque performer, said. “But it was exhilarating. I felt like a weight had been taken off my shoulders. As scary as it was, it was one of the most important things I feel I’ve ever done, because I got to show the world that I am capable of anything.”
All three of the Lustrous Lights events so far have been hosted at No Name bar and venue, located in downtown Winona. The bar provides a welcoming and supportive space for performers and attendees alike. It’s a safe place for people to come together and support their friends.
“I think it’s really cool ’cause it also gets people out and recognizing Winona’s a place to come for this stuff,” Eggers said. “And I think it brings community between performers also cause it’s a different culture than all of our other shows. It’s more of a queer space for people to express themselves.”
On the topic of self-expression, that is part of what lustrous lights is meant to help others do. With the different sections, like pole dancing, drag and burlesque, there is bound to be something for everyone and it gives a chance for performers to express themselves on a public stage
“I find that in my world, burlesque is the ultimate form of self-expression, because it has no limits on what it can do. It has everything to do with what I’m putting into it. And what is self expression if not showing the world what you’re doing or what you’re capable of or what you can do?” Adank said. “It felt so easy to translate that into burlesque because if I want to show the world who I am, what better way than to do it in a very, somewhat scandalous way that people are going to notice? I also personally love doing things that seem a little like, not taboo but a little like, ‘oh no, that’s so risqué.’”
Part of the fun of this event is that it is by everyone for everyone. There are work arounds for scheduling conflicts for performers because the goal is for everyone to be able to be involved in the creation of a creative stage performance.
“I think this is something that’s very unique to Theatre Du Mississippi because we allow people to get involved in shows that aren’t everyday rehearsals. We’re flexible. We work with schedules. We’ll do weekend rehearsals if need be or afternoon rehearsals to really fit into people’s schedules,” Eggers said. “I do think that strong friendships are created from those shows.”
Whether someone is interested in being involved or just attending the show, come on down to No Name for Lustrous Lights this Friday! This upcoming Lustrous Lights event will take place on Friday, December 5th at No Name Bar. Doors are going to open at 7 p.m. and the show will begin at 8 p.m.
Tickets can be found at theatredumas.org/events. There will be $20 tickets until they’re sold out and then they’re going up to $25. At the door, they are $25 as well. Remember to bring cash for a ticket and to tip the performers!
