Go West
In 1994 I pitched for, and won, the opportunity to driect the opening show for Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
There were a number of things significant about the show; three of the fiveleads were deaf; the entire show was "sign sung"; the drag queens, while included, were just icing on the cake; and there were more than 100 volenteers on stage by the end, more than any Mardi Gras Show before.
The show was a success, meaning the crowd loved it and it started the night off with a bang. I dont think there are many things in my life that have made me as proud as making that crowd of almost 12,000 people scream with delight.
One of the big things about the show, was that it put the deaf community in the lead. Mardi Gras had been at the forfront of using signers at the side of shows, but this time we put them out front. The show was choreographed by William Forsythe, with costumes by Tim Chappel.
