D'Arcy Drollinger

Last updated
D'Arcy Drollinger
D'Arcy Drollinger .jpg
Drollinger as Frank-N-Furter in Ray of Light's 2015 production of The Rocky Horror Show
Born (1969-01-17) January 17, 1969 (age 55)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Writer
  • actor
  • producer
  • director
  • choreographer
Years active1988–present
Website www.darcydrollinger.com

D'Arcy Drollinger (born January 17, 1969) is an American actor, writer, musician, director, producer & choreographer known for his high-camp / vaudeville-style stage productions and films that combine slapstick, farce and often drag. He was a founding member of the post-punk art band Enrique. He is the owner of the San Francisco nightclub Oasis. [1] Drollinger is also the creator of the dance-fitness brand, Sexitude. [2] D'Arcy was appointed the San Francisco Drag Laureate in 2023. [3]

Contents

Career

Film

D'Arcy wrote, directed and starred in his first feature film in 2020, based on original play, Shit & Champagne. The screenplay brings many of the [stage]show's characters, storyline and jokes largely intact to the cinematic version, with Drollinger playing stripper Champagne White. [4] The comedy is a tribute to female empowerment and the low-budget exploitation films of the 1970s. [5]

The Oasis

The Oasis, a theater and cabaret nightclub located in San Francisco's SOMA district, hosted a grand opening event on New Year's Eve day 2014. D'Arcy and business partners, including drag personality, Heklina, signed a deal to purchase the former Oasis nightclub in October 2014. The nightclub's diverse programming features drag stars, cabaret and performing artists, live musical acts, and DJs. Drollinger went on to become sole owner, reopening Oasis after the pandemic, in June 2021. [6]

Theatrical productions

Drollinger has a distinct style as a director, it is a mix of heightened slapstick with almost a commedia dell'arte-flavored rhythm and a sharp sense of timing, but all favored with the real truth of experience.

— Cindy Goldfield, SF Chronicle [7]

In 1993, Drollinger's first full-length musical, The Cereal Killers was produced at the Artful circle Theater in San Francisco. The production included many members of Enrique and was directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld. Drollinger and Wurmfeld went on to collaborate on two other rock musicals, The Possession of Mrs. Jones and Suburbia 3000. Drollinger mounted the long-running cult hit, Above and Beyond the Valley of the Ultra Showgirls [8] in 1997 before moving to New York City in 1998. While living in Manhattan, Drollinger wrote and produced Pink Elephants, Scalpel! [9] and Shit & Champagne, [10] in which he also starred. After returning to San Francisco in 2011, Project : Lohan, [11] Mr. Irresistible, [8] were written. At the same time Drollinger began producing and directing live parodies of television sitcoms with long time friend and drag star, Heklina. [12] After the venue they had been performing in was sold they decided to open Oasis, their own performance venue. After opening Oasis Drollinger wrote and starred in two sequels to Shit & Champagne, Champagne White and The Temple of Poon' [13] and Disastrous. [14] Followed by the 1980s soap opera spoof, Bitch Slap. [15]

Sexitude

Sexitude is an ongoing body-positive, sex-positive dance/fitness program [16] created by Drollinger in 2011 in San Francisco, California. Drollinger taught the first class at the Academy of Ballet on August 7, 2011, as he desired as class that would be "fun, relaxed, and a good workout, both physically and mentally." [17] Since then, Sexitude classes have happened in local San Francisco area dance schools such as Dance Mission, City Dance and ODC. As a performance group, Sexitude has participated in number of performances in the San Francisco Area, including Daytime Realness at El Rio, [18] the Castro Theatre, and the Main Stage of San Francisco Pride. The group has worked with Drollinger as a professional drag queen as well as provided performances for programs organized by Peaches Christ.

San Francisco Drag Laureate

On May 18, 2023, Drollinger was announced as the inaugural San Francisco Drag Laureate. In November 2022, the Mayor's office announced the drag laureate program and offered open applications. [19] Advertised as the first-ever position of its kind, the role is to serve as an ambassador for San Francisco's LGBTQ+, arts, nightlife, and entertainment communities. [20] Drollinger was one of five applicants for the post who were recommended to the mayor by a selection committee tasked with reviewing all 16 people who had applied. [21] Mayor London Breed called Drollinger a "bright star in San Francisco" for his advocacy and elevation of the city's drag community. [22] "My goals are to make San Francisco sparkle. I think drag performers bring a lot of sparkle and humor and glamor and silliness to the world. I think that is part of why drag is so successful," Drollinger said. [22]

Enrique

In 1988, while attending San Francisco State University, Drollinger and artist Jason Mecier [23] formed the performance art band, Enrique. [24] The groups comedic stage antics and often twisted take on 1970s TV nostalgia, landed their first gig opening up for the Average White band at The Kennel Club in San Francisco. The over-the-top stage productions won them a loyal San Francisco following from the late 1980s to mid 1990s.

Plays/musicals

  • The Cereal Killers (1993)
  • The Possession of Mrs. Jones (1996)
  • Suburbia 3000 (1997)
  • Above and Beyond the Valley of the Ultra Showgirls (1997/2003/2016/2017)
  • Pink Elephants (2000)
  • Scalpel! (2003/2010)
  • Shit & Champagne (2006/2014/2015)
  • Project: Lohan (2012)
  • Mr. Irresistible (2014)
  • Champagne White and the Temple of Poon (2015)
  • Disastrous! (2016)
  • B*tch Slap! (2017)

Parody adaptations (stage)

  • Designing Women
  • Friends
  • Golden Girls
  • Roseanne
  • Sex and the City
  • Star Trek
  • Three's Company
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Films

  • Shit & Champagne (2020)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DNA Lounge</span> Nightclub and pizza restaurant in San Francisco, California

DNA Lounge is an all-ages nightclub, restaurant and cafe in the SoMa district of San Francisco owned by Jamie Zawinski, a former Netscape programmer and open-source software hacker. The club features DJ dancing, live music, burlesque performances, and occasionally conferences, private parties, and film premieres.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI), also called Order of Perpetual Indulgence (OPI), is a charitable, protest, and street performance movement that uses drag and religious imagery to satirize issues of sex, gender, and morality and fundraise for charity. In 1979, a small group of gay men in San Francisco began wearing the attire of Catholic nuns in visible situations using camp to promote various social and political causes in the Castro District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laureate</span> Winner of an award or competition

In English, the word laureate has come to signify eminence or association with literary awards or military glory. It is also used for recipients of the Nobel Prize, the Gandhi Peace Award, the Student Peace Prize, and for former music directors of orchestras who retain some level of involvement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trannyshack</span> San Francisco drag club

Trannyshack was a San Francisco drag club started by drag queen Heklina in 1996 as an offshoot of Klubstitute, and was a weekly fixture at The Stud bar in San Francisco for 12 years, drawing large crowds on a regular basis. The Tuesday night performances at The Stud ended on 12 August 2008, with Trannyshack resuming as a monthly event at DNA Lounge in March 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Déjà Vu (company)</span> U.S. company

Deja Vu Services, Inc., is an American company that operates nearly 200 strip clubs in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, France, Canada, and Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Sheriff's Office</span> Sheriffs office for the city and county of San Francisco

The San Francisco Sheriff's Office (SFSO), officially the City and County of San Francisco Sheriff's Office, is the sheriff's office for the City and County of San Francisco. The current sheriff is Paul Miyamoto. The department has 850 deputized personnel and support staff. The SFSO is a separate organization from the San Francisco Police Department. However, SFSO deputies and SFPD officers have all attended a POST-mandated police academy, and are duly sworn California peace officers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sister Roma</span> American drag queen and activist

Michael Williams,, known professionally as Sister Roma, is an American drag queen activist, gay pornography director, fundraiser, entertainer and event host/emcee. He has been a member of San Francisco's Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence since 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heklina</span> American drag queen and actor (1967–2023)

Stefan Grygelko, best known by the name Heklina, was an American actor, drag queen, LGBT rights activist and entrepreneur based in San Francisco, California. Born in the Minneapolis area, Grygelko's mother was Icelandic; he lived in the Nordic country for a period of three years in the 1980s, with the name "Heklina" being created after an Icelandic volcano, Hekla. Heklina founded the iconic San Francisco LGBT/drag nightclub and live show Trannyshack in 1996.

I think that drag queens are still the eunuch clown that's safe to laugh at. It's definitively not shocking anymore. So I don't know if America's really embraced it. The early 90s was when RuPaul [was becoming famous] and it was the first time any drag queen had mainstream exposure. I don't really see a drag queen breaking out like that [again].

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pollo Del Mar</span>

Pollo Del Mar is an American drag queen performer, wrestling personality, journalist, activist and recording artist.

The San Francisco Drag King Contest is an annual contest for drag kings held in San Francisco, California and founded by performer and producer, Fudgie Frottage. It is the biggest drag king contest in the world, and the longest running drag king competition in the U.S. The related International Drag King Community Extravaganza (IDKE) is the largest drag king performance event in the world but not a contest. The 26th Annual San Francisco Drag King Contest will be held Sunday, August 21st, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honey Mahogany</span> American drag queen

Honey Mahogany is an American activist, politician, drag performer, and singer. She first came to national attention on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, followed by releasing her debut EP Honey Love. She was instrumental in setting up The Transgender District in San Francisco, where she served as the first director. In 2024, Mahogany was appointed director of the San Francisco Office of Transgender Initiatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finocchio's Club</span> Historic nightclub in San Francisco featuring entertainment by female impersonators

Finocchio'sClub was a former nightclub and bar in operation from 1936 to 1999 in North Beach, San Francisco, California. The club started as a speakeasy called the 201 Club in 1929 located at 406 Stockton Street. In 1933, with the repeal of prohibition, the club moved upstairs and started to offer female impersonation acts; after police raids in 1936 the club relocated to the larger 506 Broadway location. Finocchio's night club opened June 15, 1936 and was located in San Francisco, California, above Enrico's Cafe at 506 Broadway Street in North Beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ culture in San Francisco</span>

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) community in San Francisco is one of the largest and most prominent LGBT communities in the United States, and is one of the most important in the history of American LGBT rights and activism alongside New York City. The city itself has been described as "the original 'gay-friendly city'". LGBT culture is also active within companies that are based in Silicon Valley, which is located within the southern San Francisco Bay Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esta Noche (gay bar)</span> Bar in San Francisco, California, USA

Esta Noche was the first Latino gay bar in San Francisco and notably contributed to queer Latin culture. It operated from 1979 to 2014, and was located at 3079 16th Street between Valencia Street and Mission Street in San Francisco, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Stud (bar)</span> Gay bar in San Francisco, California

The Stud is a gay bar currently located on 1123 Folsom Street in San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badlands (San Francisco)</span> Defunct gay bar and nightclub in San Francisco, California, U.S.

Badlands is a gay bar and nightclub in San Francisco's Castro District, in the U.S. state of California. The bar opened in 1975 and closed in July 2020. It reopened in October 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel Utah (San Francisco, California)</span> Historic building in San Francisco

The Hotel Utah is a historic mixed-use building known as a saloon bar, live music venue, and residential hotel, built in 1908 and located in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco, California. It is known for its diverse open mic nights, which have historically attracted some people who have later become famous. It is also known as The Utah Inn, The Hotel Utah Saloon, and simply The Utah.

References

  1. ↑ "Despite pandemic pivoting, d'Arcy Drollinger is making 2020 his big year".
  2. ↑ "SexiTude | KALW". kalw.org. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  3. ↑ "SF Bestows First 'Drag Laureate' Title on Hardest-Working Queen". The San Francisco Standard. 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  4. ↑ Roka, Les (13 July 2021). "Utah Film Center Damn These Heels 2021: Wonderfully eccentric odysseys in Shit & Champagne, Saint-Narcisse | The Utah Review" . Retrieved 2022-03-15.
  5. ↑ Shit & Champagne , retrieved 2022-03-15
  6. ↑ "D'Arcy Drollinger of SF Oasis is Ready for the Roaring '20s to Begin". 23 June 2021.
  7. ↑ "How a senior publicist found his inner drag-show diva". SFGate. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  8. 1 2 "D'Arcy Drollinger | Chad Jones' Theater Dogs". www.theaterdogs.net. 7 May 2016. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  9. ↑ "Scalpel! is a Camped-Out, Crowd-Pleasing Hit at Brava". SF Weekly. Archived from the original on 2016-08-05. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  10. ↑ Schiffman, Jean (13 January 2015). "Wild, wonderful 'Shit and Champagne'". The San Francisco Examiner. Archived from the original on 2016-10-11. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  11. ↑ "'Project: Lohan' a Lindsay send-up". SFGate. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  12. ↑ Rotter, Joshua (23 July 2014). "'Sex and the City' even funnier in drag". The San Francisco Examiner. Archived from the original on 2016-10-11. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  13. ↑ "Champagne White returns in hilarious 'Temple of Poon' - The San Francisco Examiner". The San Francisco Examiner. 2015-07-27. Archived from the original on 2016-10-11. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  14. ↑ "The Bay Area Reporter Online | Commedia Delle 'Disastrous'". Bay Area Reporter.
  15. ↑ "Drag queens and their shoulders tower at Oasis". SFGate. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  16. ↑ "September 2015 | No Experience Necessary | Dance Studio Life". www.dancestudiolife.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-29. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  17. ↑ "The Bay Area Reporter Online | Sex-positive workouts
    draw on attitude"    . Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  18. ↑ Smith, Heather (18 July 2011). "Daytime Realness". Missionlocal.org. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  19. ↑ "Mayor Breed announces application launch for San Francisco's first Drag Laureate". sfmayor.org. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  20. ↑ "Drag Laureate program | San Francisco". sf.gov. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  21. ↑ "Nightclub owner Drollinger is 1st San Francisco drag laureate". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  22. 1 2 "Meet D'Arcy Drollinger, a drag performer who's now the first drag laureate in the US". AP NEWS. 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  23. ↑ "Jason Mecier Art". HuffPost . Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  24. ↑ "Patterns and Tones: D'Arcy Drollinger: A Day in the Life of a Rock n' Roller". 28 June 2014. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.