Just like magic, Jinkx Monsoon is coming to Chicago for their latest show, Everything at Stake. The reigning champion of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 7: All Winners has a brand-new title. All hail Jinkx Monsoon—queen amongst queens, legal spouse of a husband, cat mother of Tildee Swintee, avid advocate for therapy—and as always, a […]
Author Archives: Wanjiku Kairu
Posted inArts & Culture
So you think you know dance
The Chicago Cultural Center knows how to provide visceral and engaging Chicago-created content. Last year the city celebrated the Year of Chicago Dance, which highlighted our thriving and diverse dance community. During that time, the Chicago Cultural Center Dance Studio installed a new dance floor and provided space, time, and funding for Chicago dancemakers to […]
Posted inFilm
Black queer love, trans Iranian justice, asexual visibility, and more
Pride Film Fest showcases LGBTQ+ shorts and features a diverse mix of riveting stories told across the LGBTQ+ spectrum.
Posted inArts & Culture
iO improvises its rebirth
After the comedy revolution during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many performers began speaking out about toxic culture in the sketch and improv world, iO was one of the many theaters that had to close its doors, seemingly for good. Upright Citizens Brigade, which began its life in Chicago, closed its longtime New York venue; they […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Maybe we’re crazy
Have you ever been playfully called “crazy” and laughed, only to cry silently in the basement bathroom for two hours? No? Just me? Well, if you’ve ever stared into the abyss and questioned your own sanity for more than a hot second, Kellye Howard’s latest one-woman show, Crazy or Nah?!, running this weekend as part […]
Posted inBest of Chicago
Best drag queen and successful equality advocate turned mental health advocate
The Vixen Fierce, powerful, and incredibly talented, the Vixen is the sweetheart of Chicago’s drag scene. Following her appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race, the Vixen has become a champion and leader of Chicago queens, with a self-stated mission to “make the community better, be the hall monitor of drag—keeping everyone on their toes.” The Vixen […]
Posted inPerforming Arts Feature
‘What happened in the community was almost like a brush fire’
What hit harder, the racism or the pandemic? When the world shut down, theater performances came to a halt. No one was laughing about anything. Improvisers couldn’t perform, and theaters across the city lost big money. Alongside COVID-19, the improv community had a great awakening regarding mistreatment of BIPOC talent. Major theaters retroactively diversified leadership […]
Posted inFilm
My So-Called Selfish Life rejects the societal expectation that all women should have children
Award-winning filmmaker and activist Therese Shechter’s new documentary is a gripping film that spotlights society’s expectations on women to produce children, and the horrifying limits women face in pursuit of bodily autonomy.