Kelsey’s Team Pick: Camp Wanatachi – A New Musical for the Queer Camper in All of Us
Let me be frank: I hate musicals. I used to perform in them back in my stellar, beautiful teen years [Editor’s Note: Kelsey was also a cheerleader. Discuss].
Then we had a falling out, musicals and I. They were too happy, too polished. And they didn’t really go with the whole “edgy” thing I had going on (moved to Brooklyn, wore some ripped-up skinny jeans). But recently I came across a shiny new musical with a whole bunch of queers up in it, Camp Wanatachi. Workshopped in Williamsburg and previewed at various joints throughout Brooklyn, it’s finally here and officially taking names in the Off-Broadway scene.
Created, written, and composed by indie performance genius Natalie Elizabeth Weiss from Unicornicopia, Camp Wanatachi is about two girls falling in love at an all-female Christian summer camp. You might be tempted to think, “been there, done that,” and wince at those half-forgotten regrets you have about making moves on your friends as a tween. But you’d be wrong to think this musical is just ponies and rainbows and holding out for that teenage feeling.
The innocence and sweetness you’d normally expect from a storyline like this is still present in Camp Wanatachi, but it’s woven in (from what I’ve seen) with serious amounts of wit, irony, hipster-pop, and some pretty self-aware young teens just trying to figure it all out with Jesus Christ as Their Witness. It’s also being produced by Bridget Regan (the hottie who played “the Mother Confessor” on ABC’s Legend of the Seeker) and Fischerspooner’s music director Ian Pai.
I can’t convince you to like (or even re-like) musicals if you don’t, but I can convince you to watch this video and then maybe go to the show that is playing for a few more days at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York. I have a sneaking suspicion (and high hopes) that this run will not be the show’s last. So if you dig it, make sure to keep an eye out for future performances and, if we’re lucky, maybe even a tour.
Some lyrics for you:
“Let’s ride bareback
in your shortest skirts
and I’ll go down on you
under the ivy
Rigor without regret
baptized ’til soaking wet
I won’t quit
’til I have you”
If you don’t live in the area or can’t make it or want to make up more excuses for yourself, then at the very least check ’em out, follow them on twitter, and just tell them they’re all awesome, special, queer-friendly snowflakes/campers.
Kelsey’s 5 Steps to Coping with Unemployment
1) Sleep
Get a good night’s rest, every night. Sleep in, because you can. Sleep in until you can sleep no longer. Then get up for a few hours until you feel you need a rest. Then take a nap. Also, don’t stay up too late.
2) Shower
There’s nothing like starting the day fresh. Usually, after breakfast, I try to remember the last time I took a shower. Sometimes it was the night before, and other times it was four days ago. Regardless of the timing, there is no better way to feel productive than to touch your body all over and scour yourself with soap and get a clean shave. Take your time during this step. No need to rush. Beauty takes time.
I prefer my showers particularly steamy. If I wasn’t too afraid of disease, I might even consider going to a bath house for this step. As it stands, I have to make my own steam room by locking myself in the bathroom with the windows closed and water on at least 106 degrees F.
Also, there is no better time to multi-task/brainstorm than when one is in the shower. Think about your day, think about your future. Think about all of those sex dreams you had last night and how real they seemed.
Repeat this step as necessary throughout the day. You can’t be too clean- that’s a myth.
3) Clothes
After your shower, get dressed. Act like you are going out for a night with friends, or even to the local mall. Think about going to the smallest mall you’ve ever been to, and dress as if you are better than everyone else who goes to that mall. And what about emergencies? If you run out of coffee, for instance, you will need to get more as soon as possibly possible. You’re going to want to be dressed for that. Safety first.
4) Coffee
It doesn’t matter how unproductive your day has been, or what hour it is. Brew enough coffee for at LEAST 10 cups/servings. Drink what you can, refrigerate the rest. You will want to have it on hand in case INSPIRATION hits. Maybe you decide it’s time to leave the house. YOU WILL NEED COFFEE. Or perhaps you’ve been procrastinating cleaning your room, cutting your nails, washing the dishes. Likewise, have it on hand.
Also you made something today. Hand-crafted. Your creation. PLUS, the better you get at making coffee, the better your chances of being hired! It is a great skill to put on your resume.
Coffee is your friend. I used to be afraid of being “addicted” (another myth), and then I realized: I have time in my life for addiction. Recovery time, the ups and downs, etc. And besides, there will never be a withdrawal period because I will never stop drinking it. NEVER.
5) Internet
At some point during the day you will realize that you’ve done nothing that aids your unemployment status. In these instances, do the following:
Google: “Am I qualified for Unemployment Benefits?” or “U.S. Unemployment” or whatever you see fit to get your due money from the government. Even if the search results aren’t clear, you can use the day to sort through them and learn about unemployment. You might even read stories of people worse off than you! And then you will pat yourself on the back for feeling so positive.
Google: “job + _____ (insert ideal job, both realistic and unrealistic)” For example, I might search: ”acting gig, no experience required, NY, blonde, small, gay” and see what comes up.
via toothpastefordinner.com
Maybe you have a favorite site that you regularly check for jobs/entertainment/otherwise, such as Autostraddle.com, Craigslist.org or Jezebel.com. Do this as often as possible. Give the rest of your money to them. Even if you don’t end up applying to anything, at least you know what’s out there. Tell yourself you can do better, then go take a nap.
Feel free to share some tips/tricks to dealing with unemployment in the comments!
Autonatic #4: Real L Word’s Nat Skips Town, Leaves Dildos Behind
On this week’s brand new episode of Autonatic, Nat Garcia gets her shit from her ex-girlfriend’s place in Denver and visits her amazing single artist Mom in Albuquerque and discusses topics including coming out, condoms, seatbelts and the age difference in her former and present relationships.
What happens when Nat leaves some dildos behind in her childhood home? You’ll never guess REALLY you’ll never guess!!
Again big up to Showtime for their assistance in budgeting, filming, editing, storyboarding, producing, hosting, and releasing this episode of Autonatic, otherwise known as “More to L With Natalie.”
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This show is clearly the superior program to the one on the teevee and so we are even ten thousand times more glad that Nat decided to do this one instead of the other one, because that recap is gonna take us forever-ever and this one is good just on its own. Srsly, just wait ’til Tess is in it!
VIDEO: AutoNatic Does GLAAD 2010 in LA – Glambert, The Lynch & More!
Relative to the entire timespan of human history, the Los Angeles GLAAD Awards occurred pretty much an hour ago. You already know who won, and you already know how cute everyone looked, but until you see Nat Garcia for AutoNatic at the GLAAD Awards 2010 in Los Angeles, you have no idea.
Watch Nat give a lot of high fives and interview our favorite people in the entire world including Adam Lambert, Constance McMillen, Wanda Sykes, JANE LYNCH BECAUSE THE LYNCH CAN DO NO WRONG, the ladies of The Real L Word, Bryan Batt aka Sal from Mad Men, Nicol Paone and more! Also, she gets Johnny Weir to pretty much come out on Autostraddle today, which is, coincidentally, on Cinco de Gayo! (more…)
VIDEO: Nat Garcia Behind the Scenes at Club Skirts Dinah Shore
Club Skirts Dinah Shore’s Fashion Show was a very special spectacular this year due to the very special specialness of the outfits worn by the celesbian models present! Autostraddle’s very own vlogstar cutepants Celesbian Nat Garcia, aka Autonatic, went behind-the-scenes at the Dinah Shore Fashion show to capture the sentiments of her fellow celezzy fashion models.
AutoNatic describes her outfit as “a carrot” and Erin Foley feels uncomfortable with her aquamarine jumpsuit from 1986. Foley and girlfriend Nicol Paone, recently featured funny lady of LOGO’s Big Gay Sketch Show, discuss the broad appeal of Autostraddle, from the bicurious to crackheads to owners of pet racoons. Inclusivity, people!
Meredith “the Baxta” Baxter & her girlfriend Nancy lounge with Nat pre-show. Elizabeth Keener and chefmasterhottie Jamie Lauren discuss the wonders of cooking as well as eating out. Wink.
AutoNatic also meets up with Thea Gill, actress from the popular series Queer as Folk, who recently started her own Wonky Girl Productions and is starring in the upcoming TV mini-series Riverworld on the Syfy Channel alongside Alan Cumming.
Enjoy!
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VIDEO: Autostraddle’s Top 5 Weird Dinah Shore Moments
Hey remember that time that we went to Dinah Shore and Editor-in-Chief Riese and Video Assistant Masterbrain Kelsey Lisette did an interview with OurScene TV and midway through the interview, there was an earthquake? That was cool! The earthquake footage itself is not on this tape, probs because it is being sent to NASA for serious study of some sort.
But a lot of other things are on this little video. What things? Well, you’ll have to wait and see! ENJOY:
VIDEO: PAX East 2010 Log Part II: More Gaming Adventures!
The questionably long-awaited next installment of our adventures at PAX East 2010 is here! PAX, for the uninitiated, stands for ‘Penny Arcade Expo,’ and it’s a huge mofoing video game convention put on by the boys of hit webcomic and gamer empire Penny Arcade.
The video begins as we almost, almost arrive at PAX after ambling around the city of Boston drunkenly for a considerable period of time. Cosplayers! Dungeons & Dragons! A LAN party! 3D everything! And Gabe and Tycho of Penny Arcade talk queer theory and it’s really, really endearing. Also we eat clam chowder, of course.
Kelsey lived to tell the tale!
Catch up, if you missed Part I of our PAX East 2010 Technostraddle Journal. (more…)