Find me @GaymerQueen

I no longer use this blog, but if you want to check out my work I can be found on the following sites:

Website - www.justinsaintmakeup.com
Facebook - www.facebook.com/justinsaintmakeup
Tumblr - http://gaymerqueen.tumblr.com/
Instagram/Twitter - @GaymerQueen

(last updated: July 14, 2014)

My 2012 in Review NOT according to Facebook

This year Facebook came out with a new app that let you see your "biggest moments" from 2012. Facebook managed to get some moments right. It also got some moments terribly, terribly wrong. In my case, that included various internet memes about how I apparently fart glitter.

Looking back, I decided to come up with my own list of moments from the past year. 2012 was most certainly a year of endings, beginnings, new-found friends, and constant change. Thanks to everyone who took the journey with me!

VO's Pirates of Penzance a festive, ridiculous escapade

The Pirate King and the Major General
[Photo by Tim Matheson]

Watching Pirates of Penzance by Vancouver Opera was like watching an episode of Monty Python or an old skit from SNL. Some of the jokes may have aged with time. The clothes and the hair have definitely aged with time. But as with any timeless form of comedy, the audience still gets it and everybody gets a good laugh.

PIRATES OF PENZANCE
Vancouver Opera
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Dec 1-9, 2012
Tickets via [VancouverOpera.ca]

In the spirit of the Holidays, I took mother with me to catch the opening show of Pirates. Upon our arrival to the theatre, we were amused to find a rowdy bunch of pirates roving amongst the audience crowd. There no onstage supers in Pirates, instead they add some flavour to the pre-show, resulting in some rather varied reactions from the Opera-going crowd. Of course mother and I couldn't resist grabbing a shot.

Mom poses with the Pirate supers

The highlight of the night was by far Christopher Gaze's updated "I Am The Very Model of a Modern Major-General." In a brilliant turn by Vancouver Opera, some of the lyrics had been updated to be more current. And not just current, tailor-made to be very relevant to the Canadian, Vancouver-based crowd. The unexpected nature of the lyrics change had the entire audience laughing out loud and cheering for what was already the most popular number in the entire opera. The original lyrics to the song can be found within the pages of the show's program, complete with explanations of the more obscure references. However, to catch the updated version you have to go and see the show for yourself.

Bard on the Beach's Gaze as the Major-General
[Photo by Tim Matheson]

In Act 2, the baritones of the Vancouver Opera chorus manage to win the crowd with their physical comedy and comedic timing. As a group of bumbling police officers, led by Giles Tomkins, they manage to sing through a complex series of slapstick moves, all without missing a beat. The comedy within the show overall is often dependent on physical humour, and there were numbers where the movements weren't as large or a polished as it could've been. The baritones however, prove that they are more than just deliciously deep voices.

The drag queen moment of the show comes from Rachel Fenlon's entrance in Act 1. Seriously, what an entrance. Everything from her voice, her shimmering golden curls, to her pure white gown screamed "Me! Stare at me!" A product of Vancouver Opera's Young Artists Program, Fenlon proves to the Opera scene that she was indeed a choice candidate for the program. My own mother was quite impressed, more than once whispering to me how "effortless" Fenlon's soprano was.

Ruth (Judith Frost) and the Pirates of Penzance
[Photo by Tim Matheson]

Pirates was first performed in New York in 1879, and for an opera that's been around for more than a century, proves that some stories just never go old. You have your feisty cougar chasing after the young hottie. The Major-General would probably have been the Octomom of his time if reality TV existed. The flamboyant Pirate King paved the way for Johnny Depp's own famously flamboyant Pirate. Also, I'm pretty sure the opening of Act 2 with all the daughters in their nightgowns was the closest thing they had to a lingerie fashion show back in 1879.

If you're looking for a festive show to lighten up your holiday season, check out Pirates of Penzance.

Posted by Filipina Colada

Bringing out youthful truth from an old opera

La Boheme, one of the most beloved operas of all time, is at its core about the triumph and folly of youth. Which is why Vancouver Opera succeeds at bringing life to its most recent version of the play by casting young performers in the lead roles.

Krisztina Szabo and Etinne Dupuis
[Photo by Tim Matheson]

LA BOHEME Queen Elizabeth Theatre October 20-28, 2012
All in their mid-30s in real life, the four lead actors begin the opera with so much youthful energy, you'd swear they were gleefully reliving their University dorm days. The whole cast has an incredible chemistry together, and their comfortable interactions makes the play all the more vibrant.
There are two sets of lovers in the play, and their tight but oh-so-slightly awkward chemistry make the relationships all the more believable. The actors manage to bring out hints of youthful uncertainty and pride in their romance, that it ultimately adds depth to their imperfect love story.

Marriane Fiset as Mimi
[Photo by Tim Matheson]

Marriane Fiset's Mimi is sweet, likeable, and delightfully demure. Her "Mi chiamano Mimi" is so vulnerable and honest, I couldn't help but get goosebumps.
Krisztina Szabo and Etienne Dupuis as feuding couple Musetta and Marcello manage to delight and add a modern level of humour to both the more serious and lighthearted parts of the opera. Despite having less stage time, Szabo proves that she was cast in the right role by successfully display depth within her flamboyant, attention-seeking character.
The sets are simple, yet effective and appropriately reflect the squalor of the Bohemian lifestyle. The lighting does an amazing job of setting the tone and mood for each act.
Up next for Vancouver Opera is Pirates of Penzance, which opens on Dec 1st. Tickets for Vancouver Opera shows are available via their website, www.vancouveropera.ca
Posted by Filipina Colada

Zombie Syndrome - Review

We're trying out video reviews! For our very first one, Justin reviews interactive zombie play The Zombie Syndrome by The Virtual Stage.

Photo by Bettina Stauss

Tickets at http://www.thevirtualstage.org/tickets/
Held over til Nov 3rd!

IMATS Day 2 Photo Gallery

with Karley & Nicole (Team 4 from the ACT5 contest!)

This weekend, the International Makeup Artist Trade Show (IMATS) returned to Canada Place for Vancouver's biggest makeup weekend. And as though the weekend couldn't be even fuller, I also spent the weekend competing in a creative competition for ACT5 Cosmetics.

Awesome is the weekend when you get to meet the creator of one of your greatest nightmares as a child. Vancouver Special FX Artist Toby Lindala was one of the keynote speakers at this year's IMATS. I was enthralled to find out that he was the creator of the Flukeman from the X-Files, the one creature that genuinely freaked me out and made me scared of using a toilet for months as a kid.

It was quite the experience to be surrounded by so much talent and so many of my wonderful peers. I consider myself no newbie to conventions, but this is not only my first IMATS, it is also the first convention I have ever attended relating to my career of choice. There was definitely lots to see, lots to learn... and way too much shopping.

Mary Poppins Musical retells classic story with a different magic

Mary and Burt (Rachel Wallace & Case Dillard)
[Photo by Deen Van Meer]

The stage adaptation of Mary Poppins retells the musical with a different kind of magic for a brand new audience. It's not quite the story from the movie. Instead, the play takes more inspiration from the original books by P. L. Travers.

Does this new stage adaptation manage to retain the timeless charm of the film? Joining me in this review are guest reviewers David Levitt and Steven Pugh.

MARY POPPINS THE MUSICAL
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
July 17 - 22
Tickets via [Ticketmaster]

Mary Poppins interview with Rachel Wallace

Rachel Wallace as Mary Poppins

This summer, Rachel Wallace will be flying in, literally, as the original supernanny, Mary Poppins. Practically perfect in every way, she will be starring in the upcoming stage adaptation of the timeless 1964 Disney classic.

The role of Mary came quite naturally to Rachel, having been a babysitter many times. She describes her interactions with kids who visit the theatre, some for their very first time, and introducing them to the magic of stage.

Rachel also provides some insight on what she thinks might be in Mary Poppin's purse. And Rachel also tells us which food she wished she had spoonfuls of sugar for as a kid (but can now eat as an adult).

MARY POPPINS the MUSICAL
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
July 17 - 22
Tickets via [Ticketmaster]

Vancouver Fan Expo Gender Benders

OK, so this post is a little late. But with the recent historic moment in queer geekdom, I thought it appropriate to make a gallery of gender bending cosplays from this year's Vancouver Fan Expo.

Nope, drag queens weren't the only ones challenging the gender norms at FanExpo this year. There were tons of fabulous girls dressed out as their favourite characters in varying degrees of femininity and masculinity.

Drag at conventions is hit-or-miss, even in liberal Vancouver. The yearly anime convention, Anime Revolution (formerly A. Evolution) has had a bad track record with its queer programming, especially with their yearly "trap cosplay contests". Seriously, am I the only one who finds major offense with that term? What's wrong with drag or even crossplay contest?

Luckily, Fan Expo was more about the fans and boy did they come out in hoards! More galleries [here] and [here]. Plus the full gallery on [Flickr].

Marvel Makes Queer Comic Geek History

Northstar and Kyle celebrate their marriage
[Cover for Astonishing X-Men #51]

Today in Astonishing XMen's New York, a Canadian mutant superhero named Northstar is getting married to his same-sex civilian partner Kyle.

Wait... WHAAAAAAT?!?

Marvel comics undoubtedly makes queer comic book history today by not only playing host to the first wedding of its kind, but by unapologetically placing the happy event on the cover of Astonishing X-Men #51.

Vancouver Sisters Celebrate Exequatur

Join queer nuns from around the world in witnessing an important moment in Canadian queer Sistory! The Abbey of the Long Cedar Canoe, the local chapter of the global order of Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, celebrates becoming a fully professed house. They are the first fully professed house of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in Canada for over twenty five years.

The celebration, known as an Exequatur Party, will be held at 3:00pm on Saturday, August 4th in the Davie Village (location TBA). With tons of glitter and fabulous outfits, the Vancouver Sisters be taking their lifelong vows to spread universal joy, expiate stigmatic guilt and be of service to their community. They will also declare three leaders in Vancouver’s queer communities as Saints, the Order's highest honour. The Exequatur Party will be preceded by a screening of the Kevin O’Keefe film Bad Habits, which documents the return of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to Canada.

Drag Talk w/ Amanda Pushawn

Amanda Pushawn

She's flashy, over-the-top, and her wigs are one of a kind! Local Vancouver queen Amanda Pushawn has been doing drag for nine years and she's been performing for a lot longer. Now Amanda is bringing a complete rarity to Vancouver, a live drag show complete with a full band in a... wait for it... dinner theatre setting! And yes, by live we mean she'll be singing with her own classy set of pipes!

No one's going to be lip-syncing for their life at Priscilla @ Priscilla's. Instead, expect to see a high energy show with lots of classics from the timeless movie. "I Will Survive," "Color My World," and "Downtown," to name a few. And of course, what's a drag show without some fabulous costume changes?

We chatted with Amanda over the phone to get more details about the exciting night and to talk more about how Aussie drag differs from the kind of drag we're used to seeing in North America.

Updated! Pride show July 26.

PRISCILLA @ PRISCILLA'S

Priscilla's Restaurant

1047 Davie St

$5 at the door

For reservations, call 604 687 3333

Swordigo - 90s throwback platformer a worthwhile, addictive app

Remember that action adventure platformer you used to play in the mid-90s? You were good enough to get through most of the game. But every now and then, the game would throw you a challenge that was unrelenting and unforgiving. That challenge would have you, and possibly your brother or your best friend, cursing repeatedly until the sweet, sweet satisfaction of finally reaching that legendary weapon or secret area.

Swordigo (Touch Foo) for the iPhone/iPad is pretty much that game. Except now, instead of waiting all day to run home and play the game, you can now take it everywhere with you! I've played Swordigo on a long ferry ride, during quiet moments while camping, in the lunchroom at work, and pretty much every time I manage to get a seat on the bus.

CATWalk for Life

The Vancouver Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are gonna be bringing it in heels to the AIDS Walk for Life!

For every $1k we raise, we pledge to walk 1km in heels at the Vancouver AIDS Walk

The entire walk is 10km long, so if we reach our goal of $10,000 we'll be providing 23 persons with HIV/AIDS with access to better healthcare for a full year! (Also we'll be extra tall for the whole walk)

Proceeds from the AIDS Walk go directly to support Positive Living's  Complimentary Health Fund (CHF). For up to $35 per month, the CHF supports health-related expenses not covered by other funding sources (more details below).

To sponsor Sister Sweet CherriBum in the walk, click [here]

To join the Vancouver Sisters AIDS Walk team, click [here]

JustinSaintMakeup.com is now live!

Our professional site, JustinSaintMakeup.com is now live! We recently graduated from the Global Makeup Artistry program at Blanche MacDonald Centre. Things have certainly not been slowing down for us! We've got a movie coming up, Sweet's working on three exciting fundraising projects (and we're looking for queer artists -- stay tuned!!), and with Pride season coming up, expect to see more of the fabulous trio.

JUSTIN SAINT MAKEUP
[Website]
[Facebook]  |  [Flickr]

Rock of Ages brings the laughs and nostalgia

The cast of Rock of Ages
[Photo credit: Scott Suchman]

You can tell that Rock of Ages is not your family friendly musical just by walking into the theatre. The stage is meticulously designed to look like your local dive bar. It comes complete with scrawling graffiti, strewn underwear, and signage from the neighbourhood strip club... er... gentlemen's club.

Not surprisingly, the opening night audience for Rock of Ages was different from your usual showtune crowd. No kids or older folks to be seen here. The age range was decidedly concentrated around the thirty to forty-somethings who had come to enjoy some classic rock from the 80s.

Rock of Ages
Centre for Performing Arts in Vancouver
May 8 - 13, 2012 
Tickets via [Ticketmaster] 

Rock of Ages interview with Shannon Mullen

Shannon Mullen as Sherrie Christian
[Photo credit: Scott Suchman]

When she first saw the original Broadway production of Rock of Ages, Shannon Mullen thought there was absolutely no way she would ever play naïve country girl turned hot rocker Sherrie Christian. Fast forward three years later and Shannon has dived into that very same role and is currently starring in the touring production.

We caught the touring cast of Rock of Ages during their run in Medicine Hat, AB. In this phone interview, Shannon talks about how she managed to find connections with the character of Sherrie. The self-admitted “gym rat” also sheds light on how she sings and dances an entire musical in heels, shares some of her “out of body” rock concert-type experiences in the show (and no, it has nothing to do with recreational drugs!), and she describes how one particular outfit from character Sherrie’s wardrobe has completely changed her personal body image for the better.

Like Shannon's Fanpage on Facebook

ROCK OF AGES
Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts
May 8-13, 2012
Tickets via [Ticketmaster]

FCP Celebrates 25th with Retrospective Show

Side by Side by Sondheim, 2007

Fighting Chance Productions [FCP] is celebrating their twenty fifth production with retrospective fundraiser show 25 and Still Fighting: Great Moments in FCP History. Twenty five shows is no laughing matter. Fighting Chance has proven time and again that the musical theatre scene in Vancouver is alive and buzzing with talent. Forty performers from a dozen different shows are being reunited for the first time ever to reprise some of their most memorable numbers from the past five years.

25 and Still Fighting
Jericho Arts Centre
May 4th, Friday
Doors open 7pm, show at 8pm

Only 100 tickets available! Email tickets@fightingchanceproductions.ca to reserve yours.

Vancouver Fan Expo 2/2 - Star Wars Extravaganza

Running into your ex is always so awkward...

There were so many Star Wars themed cosplays at Fan Expo Vancouver 2012 that I just had to dedicate an entire post for all of them! (The fact that I was dressed as Queen Amidala in her Theed Throne Room Gown totally didn't make me biased either. *cough* *cough*)

The large number of Galactic outfits may have been inspired by the presence of both the 501st Legion and the Rebel Legion, two amazing Star Wars costume fan clubs that are very, very serious about their costuming.

Vancouver Fan Expo 1/2 - Cosplay galore!

Tali [Mass Effect]

Fan Expo Vancouver sprang up from almost nowhere and quickly gained momentum as the lower mainland's must-attend nerd convention. Hundreds upon hundreds of fans flocked to the Vancouver Convention Centre to participate in the massive celebration of fan culture.

There was literally something for everyone. The convention covered pretty much every subculture of geek-dom, including comic books, sci fi, gaming, and anime/manga. This was certainly reflected in the variety of fans that showed up. And it most certainly was reflected in the amazing cosplays that were on display all weekend! (up next - a whole gallery dedicated to Star Wars cosplay!)

Check out our full Flickr gallery from the weekend [here]