Scott N Andrew

Show Queen

2023

Show Queen stretches boundaries of traditional dance theater forms while articulating a distinctly queer aesthetic. The work critiques the Broadway musical, invoking codes and conventions of the diva and her queer fandom, to locate the queer body as a non-textual site of transfer. This work seeks to trouble cultural memory, producing a resonance of confusion and transcendence by hijacking and disrupting the stability often assigned to fixed, “official” notions of archival knowledge and institutional history.

In Place for Us, D. A, Miller writes: “In the psyche of the post-stonewall man, the Broadway musical lies like a nervously watched pod that, having been preserved from a past geological epoch, may nonetheless— say, at any temperature above frigidity—split open to reveal a creature that, in comparison with the less primitive forms of life around it, even with those which must have evolved from it, will appear monstrous beyond recognition.”

Show Queen challenges viewers to interrogate the relationship between the diva and her queer fandom in ways that go beyond a punchline. Through formal elements of obscured silhouettes and reflected light, the figure of the diva serves as both a container and blinding projection screen for our own desires and expectations. Multi-channel video mapping enhances concepts of duplication and duplicity: mirrors, portraits, doubles, dialogues. Design elements of costuming mask clear discerning of a singular identity, opening up a sense of mystery. This exchange between the icon and its multifaceted psycho-emotional meaning uncover collective fantasies that force the "nervously watched pod" of the Broadway musical wide open.

Show Queen deepens our obsession with the legend of the diva and the strong emotional attachment that accompanies this attraction. From the performer’s perspective, Jesse Factor writes, ‘As she endlessly haunts me, I bring her to life, I make her “real” through my body. I endeavor to both excavate and complicate the diva figure through inhabiting her.’ From the media designer’s perspective, Scott Andrew writes, ‘Animation / VFX enhance this performance by amplifying and further embodying the mythic nature of the Diva’s ghostly presence. The diva is reconstituted, in part, through interactions of both live and virtual bodies, atmospheric disruptions, and symbols of her existence that extend beyond bodies altogether.’

Show Queen seeks to split open the nervously watched pod and revel in the monstrous birth and glory of the “star mother” identification. Call her Dolly, Mame, Eva, the Spider Woman, Lola, or Norma (“the greatest star of all”), the Broadway diva serves as a projection screen for a distinctly queer desire. This dynamic of queer diva identification as a cultural survival tactic, gives permission to perform what the dominant discourse might relegate as ridiculous, and in taking this topic seriously, Show Queen seeks to understand and demonstrate its complexity as well as strange necessity.

  • Creator and Dance Artist: Jesse Factor
  • Media Designer and Video Editor: Scott Andrew

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June 5, 2023

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I’m excited to have Jesse Factor and my video Show Queen featured at Wick Monet for their Pittsburgh Pride Exhibition opening on June 15th and curated by my lovely past student Sarah El-Hefnawy.https://www.wickmo.net/lightonartdetails
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Show Queen, by Jesse Factor and Scott Andrew is a digital video edit that is derived from our live stage show by the same name.  It will be included in Video Art PGH curated by Cameron A. Granger and featured alongside works by Angie Jennings,...
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May 31, 2023

SHOW QUEEN

will get it’s first work-in-progress showing at Milton Art Bank on June 2nd and 3rd.https://www.eventbrite.com/e/show-queen-tickets-562513963407https://www.miltonartbank.com/
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Gallery

Three black silhouettes of figures in hats dancing against a vibrant red background. White background with "MAB Milton Art Bank presents" in black. Below, "Show Queen" in large red script, with a stylized face and black arms. Performer in a sparkly dress with long hair, bending backward, illuminated by red light and white streaks, casting a large shadow. Performer in a white avant-garde outfit, platform shoes, and mask, posing against a purple and green projected digital backdrop. Performer in white ruffled dress and gloves, striking a pose with arms raised, casting a large shadow on a purple and white wall. Silhouetted figure in a wide-brimmed hat and long dress striking a pose, with multiple projected shadows on a vibrant pink wall. Silhouette of a figure in a wide-brimmed hat and long dress striking a pose against a bright pink wall with multiple shadow figures. Silhouette of a person in a wide-brimmed hat and dress dancing, with two fainter silhouettes behind, all against a purple wall. A dark silhouette of a figure with arms raised, standing before a purple wall with multiple lighter, shadowy figures. Silhouetted dancer in a wide-brimmed hat and long dress, striking a pose with arms bent, against an orange backdrop with repeating shadows. Silhouetted figure in a wide-brimmed hat dancing before a vibrant red and orange gradient wall, with three faint shadow figures behind. Silhouette of a dancer in a wide dress and hat, balancing on one leg with arms extended, against a purple wall with two projected shadows. A dancer in a wide-brimmed hat poses on a wooden floor, silhouetted against a vibrant pink wall with multiple shadow figures. Silhouetted figure in a wide-brimmed hat and flowing dress striking a pose against a vibrant orange and pink gradient wall with multiple shadows. A dancer in a light dress poses center-frame, silhouetted against a bright blue wall with multiple dark blue projected figures. A person in a wide-brimmed hat and long dress stands silhouetted against a vibrant purple wall, casting a large shadow. Dancer in a sequined costume striking a pose on a red-lit stage, with abstract golden light streaks projected onto the background. Dancer in a sparkling costume with long hair, striking a pose on a stage bathed in red light with abstract white lines projected around them. Performer in a shiny red suit striking a pose against a red wall with projected white geometric patterns and a large circular halo. Performer in dark costume on a wooden floor, with three projected images of a person in a red, sequined outfit on a dark wall. A person in silhouette on a wooden floor, facing a large projection of a figure in a red sequined outfit and an ornate mask. Dancer in a sparkling costume with arms outstretched, silhouetted against a vibrant red background with a faint, larger shadow behind. Dancer in a sequined costume with a long ponytail, striking a pose on a wooden stage against a vibrant red background with white speckles. Performer in a sequined costume lies on a wooden floor, one leg raised, casting dramatic shadows on a vibrant red wall. Performer in white, platform boots, striking a pose against a wall projected with vibrant, symmetrical light patterns in purple, blue, and yellow. Dancer in white tank and blue leggings on one leg, arms extended, against a blue wall with green and pink bokeh lights. A male dancer in a white tank top and briefs poses against a vibrant blue and purple projected light background. Performer in white tank top and purple briefs with arms raised, illuminated by a colorful circular projection on a dark wall. Dancer in white tank top and purple briefs, with knee pads, striking a pose against a white wall with a purple shadow and clock face projection. Performer in white costume, platform shoes, and elaborate headpiece striking a pose against a blue and white kaleidoscopic projection. Performer in elaborate white costume with ruffled shoulders and platform boots, bathed in intense purple light, striking a pose. Broadway" projected in white, textured font on a purple wall, with silhouettes of people watching from a wooden floor. Neon text "ALL I EVER NEEDED" glows on a dark purple wall behind a silhouetted figure sitting on a polished wooden floor. Dancer in a sparkling costume, striking a pose against a vibrant red background with confetti-like specks and a prominent shadow. Performer in a sparkly dress and tights dances against a red wall with a shimmering, projected light pattern and a large shadow. Dancer in a sparkling red costume with fringe, illuminated by red light and a projected pattern of white specks, casting a large shadow. White text "GLAMOROUS AND SEXUAL" on a dark red background with blurred figures on the left and right edges. Performer in white gown and platform shoes holding a doll, with a projected purple and white geometric pattern background. Dancer in white tank top and shorts, lying on a wooden floor, back arched, under purple and pink lighting with projected clouds. A male dancer in a white tank top and briefs, mouth open, strikes an expressive pose against a vibrant, projected backdrop of swirling colors. Three vintage musical soundtrack album covers: "My Fair Lady" (pink), "West Side Story" (red/B&W), and "The Sound of Music" (sepia). Silhouette of a dancer in a long dress and pointed hat, mid-leap, against an orange and blue gradient background with a red shadow. Silhouette of a dancer in a wide-brimmed hat striking a pose, with projected shadows of other dancers on a vibrant pink and red background. Performer in a shimmering, fringed costume and elaborate mask, arms raised, dancing on a red-lit stage with light reflections. Dancer in a sequined dress, seen from behind, illuminated by purple and pink light with scattered bright dots, creating a blurred shadow. Dancer in a sparkling red costume and mask, arms outstretched, against a vibrant red background with abstract light projections. Dancer in a sequined costume with long hair, posing dramatically against a bright red background with a strong shadow. Dancer in a sequined costume and fishnet stockings, illuminated by blue and purple light, striking a pose on a wooden floor. Performer in a sequined costume and mask, striking a pose with one leg raised, against a red-lit background with projected imagery. Performer in a sparkly costume lying on a dark stage, one leg extended upwards, with a blurred red and black projected image behind. Dancer in a sparkling, fringed costume and elaborate mask mid-leap against a vibrant red background with subtle light patterns. Dancer in a sparkling costume with a fringed skirt, silhouetted against a vibrant red and purple background with bright, exploding light patterns.