In 1990s Manhattan, a dynamic drag queen duo, Brenda Sexual and Glennda Orgasm, produced and cohosted a popular underground public access cable series The Brenda and Glennda Show. Taking drag out of the nightclubs and into the streets, their show boldly mixed political activism with humor, art, and visibility. In 1993, the show became Glennda and Friends, hosted by Glenn Belverio, who expanded the “post-queer” talk show format to feature provocative costars such as queer filmmaker Bruce LaBruce, transgressive author Bruce Benderson, performance artist Vaginal Davis, and guerrilla scholar Camille Paglia. Both shows chronicled the radical queer and drag scenes and activism that grew out of the first years of the AIDS pandemic, creating an inspiring and iconoclastic archive for today. 1991–1994, US, digital, 72 min.
A Q&A with Glenn Belverio and Jon Davies follows the screening.
The program includes the following episodes:
Seize Control of the Taj Mahal, 1991, US, digital, 14 min.
On the Campaign Trail with Joan Jett Blakk, 1992, US, digital, 29 min.
Glennda and Bruce Do Times Square, 1994, US, digital, 29 min.
Bios
Glenn Belverio is an independent film and video maker who lives and works in New York City. He began producing and cohosting the popular Manhattan Cable series The Brenda and Glennda Show in 1990. In 1993, the series became Glennda and Friends. Belverio’s collaborative project with Camille Paglia, Glennda and Camille Do Downtown, later became a short film that was well received at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival and won the Best Short Documentary prize at the 1994 Chicago Underground Film Festival. Belverio’s work has screened at venues such as the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, and the New Museum, New York.
Jon Davies is a Montreal-born curator and writer. He earned a PhD in art history from Stanford University for his dissertation The Fountain: Art, Sex and Queer Pedagogy in San Francisco, 1945–1995. Davies was a member of the Pleasure Dome programming collective before working as an assistant curator at the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto, and associate curator at Oakville Galleries. Davies has curated film programs for venues including the Ann Arbor Film Festival, Aurora Festival, Gallery TPW, Images Festival, Inside Out Film Festival, and Vtape. Davies’s book about the film Trash by Paul Morrissey was published by Arsenal Pulp Press in 2009 and his anthology, More Voice-Over: Colin Campbell Writings, was published by Concordia University Press in 2021. His writing on film, video, and contemporary art has been published in many anthologies, catalogues, journals, and periodicals such as C Magazine, Canadian Art, Criticism, Fillip, Frieze, GLQ, and No More Potlucks.
Content and Accessibility Notes
Content note: Contains mature content.
Accessibility
This film has open captions.
Assistive Technology
Assistive listening devices (ALDs) are available at the Main Lobby desk for most film screenings. ALDs play the film’s audio track through headphones. Each side has a separate and adjustable volume setting. Call 612-375-7564 or email access@walkerart.org for the availability of assistive technology at this event.
Seating
For seating that doesn’t require the use of stairs, enter the Cinema through the left-side door. Our accessible seating is situated at the back of the house, with clear views of the screen and stage. The area is elevated slightly above the tiered seating and can accommodate two wheelchairs. As space is limited, reservations are encouraged. Please call 612-375-7564 or email access@walkerart.org for availability.
Restrooms
Accessible restrooms near the Cinema are located in two areas. There are two all-gender, single-user restrooms with manual doors to the left of the restaurant, across from the Cinema. There are gendered, multi-stall restrooms behind the Main Lobby desk, accessible by elevator (level LL).
Parking
Vineland Place parking meters provide four-hour options for vehicles with disability license plates or certificates.
Accessible parking in the underground ramp is designated near the elevator and entrance. To get to the Cinema from the parking ramp, follow the P1 (level 1) hallway (look for the large “WALKER” sign) into the Main Lobby.
Services such as Metro Mobility should be instructed to drop off and pick up passengers at 725 Vineland Place. There is a disability transfer zone by the main entrance on Vineland Place.
Questions?
For information or to request accommodations, call 612-375-7564 or email access@walkerart.org. For more information about accessibility at the Walker, visit our Access page.
Contact the box office at 612-375-7600 for day of event questions.
Before Your Visit
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