Diversionary Theatre Kicks Off THE DIVINE SISTER InDepth Events

Diversionary Theatre will be in full drag this June during our hilarious hit production of The Divine Sister! We will be paying homage to the greats of drag performance during the run of the smash comedy, written by playwright, actor and drag legend Charles Busch, in two ways:

1. In the Lobby: The Gospel of Drag (Nightly through June 30th)
During the entire run of The Divine Sister, come to Diversionary early, grab a drink in Fritz's Lounge and explore the presentation in our lobby. Learn about great performers, from Edward Kynaston to RuPaul, who made their mark in drag and cross-dressing, San Diego drag legends, and Diversionary's past drag-centered productions to provide a historical and cultural context for the brilliant Charles Busch parody you will see upstairs. It is free and open to all patrons starting one hour before showtime.

2. InDepth @ Diversionary: From Divine to The Divine Sister (June 9th, 2013 at 3.30pm)
We continue our series of InDepth @ Diversionary discussions on Sunday, June 9th with a panel moderated by local performer Tony Houck (seen at Diversionary in Scrooge in Rougeand The Facts of Life: The Lost Episode in drag and in [title of show] and Harmony, Kansasout of drag) and featuring Daren Scott (currently playing Mother Superior in Diversionary's production of The Divine Sister), Rudy Ramrod (local performer and member of the San Diego Kings Club), and Katie Rodda (Theatre Professor at San Diego City College). Each will have keen personal and historical insight into the importance and emergence of the performance art of drag.

The discussion is free and open to the public following the 2pm matinee performance of The Divine Sister. Tickets to the performance are $25 - $51. It will explore how drag performance has evolved over the last half-century, blossoming from a form of entertainment on the fringe to one that is entering the mainstream. What are the historical influences and how is an impact being made now? Has drag's surge in popularity helped or hindered it as a form of artistic expression? From the success of downtown theatre sensations Charles Busch and Charles Ludlam to the cinematic triumph of Divine and Paris is Burning to RuPaul's Drag Race's unstoppable run as one of the greatest pleasures (guilty or not) on television, how has drag's increasing popularity influenced the culture at large and that of the LGBT community specifically? Join the conversation!

Diversionary Theatre's production of The Divine Sister, an Off Broadway hit written by Charles Busch, officially opened at San Diego's Diversionary Theatre on June 1, 2013 with a cast that includes Maggie Carney as MrS. Levinson, Yolanda Franklin as Sister Acacius,Lauren King as Agnes, Dangerfield G. Moore as Jeremy, Daren Scott as Mother Superior, and Jacque Wilke as Sister Walburga. Diversionary's production is directed by the Craig Noel Award-winning (and co-founder of ion Theatre) Glenn Paris.

The Divine Sister is an inspired homage to every Hollywood film ever centered on the convent. Written by Charles Busch (the comic genius behind such classics as The Tale of the Allergists Wife; Die, Mommie, Die!; Psycho Beach Party; and Vampire Lesbians of Sodom), this is the gleefully twisted tale of an indomitable Mother Superior trying to cope with a young postulant experiencing "visions," a sensitive schoolboy in need of mentoring, a mysterious nun visiting from Berlin, and a former suitor intent on luring her away from her vows. No nun, whether singing or flying, is spared and no Mary is left un-hailed in this loving parody that dares to take a look beneath the habit.

The production is scheduled to run through June 30. Tickets are now available online at www.diversionary.org, by calling 619-220-0097 or in person by visiting 4545 Park Boulevard San Diego, Calif. Single ticket prices ranges from $25 - $51 (Prices are subject to change).

Diversionary Theatre develops new works and produces plays and musicals that explore the issues, characters and stories of the LGBT community in all its complexity and diversity. Now in its 27th year, Diversionary is a professional theatre company that produces a season of mainstage plays and musicals, presents a series of entertaining live entertainment (Diversionary Cabaret), and nurtures artists in the development of new works of theatre through new play commissions, readings, workshops.

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