Tom Rubnitz: Community Drag Theater
Still from Drag Queen Marathon, 1986
Sunday, April 7 at 7pm
at Chicago Filmmakers
1326 W. Hollywood Ave, Chicago IL
Order tickets on the Chicago Filmmakers website
The work of Tom Rubnitz can be described by an array of adjectives including sexy, glamorous, campy, hallucinogenic, hedonistic, joyful, and romantic, but the heart of the work is the New York City queer community who collaborated on this bouquet of images from the 1980s-90s.
Originally from Chicagoland, Tom Rubnitz, a New York transplant, injected both humor and clarity into the deadliest decade of the AIDS crisis. From playful takes on advertising and drag performances at the renowned Pyramid Club to more serious commentary, such as his collaboration with artist and writer David Wojnarowicz, this program describes a decade of queer culture, performance, and friendship.
This screening is presented in partnership with Video Data Bank at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The event will be followed by a Q&A with curator Emily Eddy and Rubnitz scholar George William Price.
Program:
Chicken Elaine, 1983, 1:00
Made for TV, 1984, 15:00
Hustle With My Muscle, 1986, 4:00
The Mother Show, 1991, 4:00
From the Files of the Pyramid Cocktail Lounge, 6:00
Listen to This, 1992, 15:30
Drag Queen Marathon, 1986, 5:00
TRT: 51min + Q&A
