Outrageous, inventive, and exuberant, the theatrical troupe of men and women known as the Cockettes were progenitors of “acid drag,” a mix of LSD-fueled hippiedom and gender-bending radical performance. Former member Fayette Hauser traces the arc of the group’s aesthetic from its origins in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood to its influence on current pop culture. Screenings of rare footage of Cockettes’ shows follow, with live narration by Hauser.

All encouraged to come dressed à la the Cockettes.

Conversation with Fayette Hauser, 6:30 pm

Through stories and photos, Fayette Hauser traces the arc of the Cockettes’ aesthetic and the group’s influence on current pop culture.

Screenings, 8 pm

Watch rare footage of Cockettes performances, accompanied by live narration from Hauser. Just two days before Halloween, the timing of this screening of Palace is especially appropriate.

• Palace
  Directed by Syd Dutton and Scott Runyon
  Shot Halloween night at the Palace Theater in North Beach, Palace is the only existing footage of a Les Ghouls, a live Cockettes performance. 1970, 22 minutes.

• Tricia’s Wedding
  Directed by Sebastian
  A satire of the White House wedding of President Richard Nixon’s daughter stars the Cockettes as various celebrities and heads of state in attendance. 1971, 33 minutes.

About the Artist

The beauty and bounty of drag, performance art, rock ’n’ roll and hallucinogenic heaven collided every time Fayette Hauser got dressed. As one of the treasured few biological females in the celebrated Cockettes, Hauser stepped out, showed off, got wild, and lived in Technicolor with the likes of the Family Dog, Janis Joplin, and Andy Warhol. She has a voice that can only sound right, stories that will bend your mind, and style that turned trends into law.

Hauser grew up on the East Coast and came of age as the fertile Underground of the 1960s was blossoming. She is a graduate of Boston University, College of Fine Arts with a BFA in painting and sculpture. Now living in Los Angeles, she writes, lectures, and travels sharing her photographs, stories, and thoughtful insights.