David Cerda

Last updated
David Cerda
Cerdaheadshot2019.jpg
David Cerda in 2019
Born (1961-06-13) June 13, 1961 (age 63)
OccupationPlaywright

David Cerda (born June 13, 1961, Hammond, Indiana) is an American performer and playwright based in Chicago. He is currently the artistic director for Hell in a Handbag Productions, which he co-founded in 2002. His campy, highly theatrical plays have made him a notable presence within the Chicago theater scene. He has written and appeared in many of his works, including a transgressive adaptation of Rudolph, the Red-Hosed Reindeer, How ‘What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?’ Happened and POSEIDON! An Upside-Down Musical [1] which won the New York International Fringe Festival Best Ensemble Award and was the most attended show of the festival that year. [2] [3]

Contents

Cerda’s theatre group has araised money for Chicago LGBT non-profits such as Season of Concern, AIDS Legal Council, Howard Brown, the Legacy Project, Windy City Alliance for the Deaf, and Groceryland. [4]

Selected works

Hell in a Handbag has produced over 70 original plays, of which Cerda has written several. [5]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<i>Death Becomes Her</i> 1992 film by Robert Zemeckis

Death Becomes Her is a 1992 American satirical surrealistic black comedy fantasy film directed and produced by Robert Zemeckis and written by David Koepp and Martin Donovan. The film stars Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis, and Isabella Rossellini. Its plot follows two women who fight for the affections of the same man and drink a magic potion that promises eternal youth. Filming began in December 1991 and concluded in April 1992; it was shot entirely in Los Angeles.

<i>The Poseidon Adventure</i> (1972 film) 1972 film by Ronald Neame

The Poseidon Adventure is a 1972 American disaster film directed by Ronald Neame, produced by Irwin Allen, and based on Paul Gallico's 1969 novel of the same name. It has an ensemble cast including five Oscar winners: Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Albertson, Shelley Winters, and Red Buttons. The plot centers on the fictional SS Poseidon, an aging luxury liner on its final voyage from New York City to Athens, before it is scrapped. On New Year's Day, it is overturned by a tsunami. Passengers and crew are trapped inside, and a preacher attempts to lead a small group of survivors to safety.

<i>Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer</i> (TV special) 1964 Christmas TV special

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a 1964 stop motion Christmas animated television special produced by Videocraft International, Ltd. It first aired December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network in the United States and was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour. The special was based on the 1949 Johnny Marks song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" which was itself based on the poem of the same name written in 1939 by Marks's brother-in-law, Robert L. May. Since 1972, the special has aired on CBS. The network unveiled a high-definition, digitally remastered version of the program in 2005, re-scanned frame-by-frame from the original 35 mm film elements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Whitty</span> American screenwriter, playwright, performer (born 1971)

Jeffrey Daniel Whitty is an American playwright, actor, and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drag show</span> Drag king or drag queen performance show

A drag show is a form of entertainment performed by drag artists impersonating men or women, typically in a bar or nightclub. Shows can range from burlesque-style, adult themed nightclub acts to all-ages events with sing-alongs and story times.

The Gold Dust Orphans is a fringe theater company based in Boston and Provincetown, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1995 by writer/performer Ryan Landry, Scott Martino, Afrodite, and Billy Hough. It is a group of actors, musicians, dancers, writers and visual artists dedicated to the production of shows that are often based on works of film, theater, and popular culture. Many of the roles are played in the classical tradition by men in drag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Epperson</span> American drag artist

John Epperson is an American drag artist, actor, pianist, vocalist, and writer who is mainly known for creating his stage character Lypsinka. As Lypsinka, he lip-synchs to meticulously edited, show-length soundtracks culled from snippets of outrageous 20th-century female performances in movies and song.

Scarrie! the Musical is an unauthorized musical stage spoof of the 1976 Brian De Palma film Carrie and the 1988 Broadway musical, both based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Stephen King, the tale of a high school misfit. The musical had a script by David Cerda with music and lyrics by Cerda, Scott Lamberty and Taylor E. Ross. The musical spoof played in two different productions in Illinois. The musical uses a 1970s influenced score and "lots of pigs blood".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherry Vine</span> American actor, drag queen and comedian

Keith Levy, known professionally as Sherry Vine, is an American actor, drag queen, and musician. Vine is the creator and host of She's Living for This, a variety series on Here TV.

The U.S. state of Illinois has an active LGBT history, centered on its largest city Chicago, where by the 1920s a gay village had emerged in the Old Town district. Chicago was also the base for the short-lived Society for Human Rights, an early LGBT rights advocacy organization (1924).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detox (drag queen)</span> American drag performer and recording artist

Matthew Dail Sanderson, better known by the stage name Detox Icunt or simply Detox, is an American drag performer and recording artist. Detox was a fixture of the Southern California drag scene before coming to international attention on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, as well as the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jinkx Monsoon</span> American drag queen (born 1987)

Hera Hoffer, best known under the stage name Jinkx Monsoon, is an American drag queen, actress, singer and comedian. She has been noted for her celebrity impersonations, quick wit, and musical theatre-inspired performance style.

The Sacred Fools Theater Company is a Los Angeles–based theatre company and nonprofit organization. Founded in January 1997, the company is a member organization of the LA Stage Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ginger Minj</span> American drag performer

Joshua Allen Eads, better known by the stage name Ginger Minj, is an American drag queen, actor, singer-songwriter, and reality television personality. After achieving recognition for placing as the runner-up on the seventh season of the reality television competition series RuPaul's Drag Race, Minj returned to compete on the second and sixth seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Minj has acted in three Netflix productions—the comedy feature film Dumplin' (2018), the animated series Super Drags, and RuPaul's fictional series AJ and the Queen, and has acted in numerous theatrical productions. Minj appeared in the 2022 film Hocus Pocus 2, the sequel to Hocus Pocus. Minj has released three studio albums—Sweet T (2016), Gummy Bear (2021), and Double Wide Diva (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amber Ruffin</span> American comedian, writer, and actress

Amber Mildred Ruffin is an American comedian, writer and actress. She hosted her own late-night talk show titled The Amber Ruffin Show on Peacock. She has been a writer for Late Night with Seth Meyers since 2014. When she joined the show she became the first Black woman to write for a late-night network talk show in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorgy Thor</span> American drag queen performer and musician

Thorgy Thor is the stage name of Shane Thor Galligan, an American drag queen and musician who came to international attention on the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and on the third season of All Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miz Cracker</span> American drag queen

Miz Cracker is the stage name of Maxwell Elias Heller, an American drag queen and television personality. He is best known for placing fifth on the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and for being a runner-up on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia Lux</span> American drag performer

Olivia Lux is the stage name of Fred Carlton Bunton, an American drag performer most known for competing on season 13 of RuPaul's Drag Race. Olivia joined the House of Miyake-Mugler in November 2021 and in February 2022 announced that she would be changing her name to Liv Lux Miyake-Mugler when referred to in the ballroom scene.

Tracy Baim is a Chicago-based LGBT journalist, editor, author, and filmmaker. She is also a former publisher of the Chicago Reader newspaper.

References

  1. "Hell in a Handbag Productions: Poseidon". Archived from the original on 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2007-02-10.
  2. 1 2 "Poseidon! An Upside Down Musical Wins FringeNYC Award". GoPride Chicago (ChicagoPride.com). Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  3. 1 2 Douglas, Colin (2019-03-24). "It Ain't Over Until the Fat Lady Swims | Chicago Theatre Review" . Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "DAVID CERDA – Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame" . Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  5. "David Cerda: Pioneer of Camp Theater Hell in a Handbag Productions in Chicago". AMBER LIVE | The Drag Queen Comedy Talk Show. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  6. Helbig, Jack (2019-07-17). "There's nothing bad about The Drag Seed". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  7. Velasquez, Diana (2021-11-05). "'The Drag Seed' brings satire, killer drag queens to the stage". The Pitt News. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  8. "The Drag Seed | Theater in New York". Time Out New York. 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  9. "Hell in a Handbag casts world premiere of 'Snowgirls — the Musical'". Chicago Tribune. 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  10. Douglas, Colin (2018-12-08). "Reindeer Games and Jazz Hands | Chicago Theatre Review" . Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  11. Cerda, David (2019-03-19). "Upside Down with David Cerda. An "Inside" look at POSEIDON!". PerformInk. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  12. Forbes, Harry (2019-11-04). "Poseidon! An Upsidedown Musical". Backstage. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  13. "Chicago - Poseidon! An Upside-Down Musical - 1/2/03". www.talkinbroadway.com. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  14. Morgan, Scott C. (2009-07-01). "THEATER REVIEW Poseidon! - Windy City Times News". Windy City Times. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  15. Reid, Kerry (2019-03-29). "Poseidon! is still shipshape". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  16. Rabinowitz, Chloe (2022-10-27). "THE GOLDEN GIRLS: THE LOST EPISODES, THE OBLIGATORY HOLIDAY SPECIAL to be Presented by Hell in a Handbag". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  17. "Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer Returns". Best Gay Chicago. 2014-11-10. Retrieved 2023-10-17.