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Detail of a collage featuring text and photographs against a purple background. A drag peformer, top right, is dressed in black and has long talon-like nails, holding a cigarette holder. The other, bottom centre, is a white, ethereal figure. Text: Oraculum.
Collage featuring text and photographs against a purple background. A drag performer on the right is dressed in black and has long talon-like nails, holding a cigarette holder in her right hand as she reaches out to us with her left. The other, left, is a white, ethereal figure. Text: Oraculum.
Photo: Denim & Pythia. Photography & treatment by Fran Chudnoff.

Drag & theatre Drag & theatre

combine in a spectacular & provocative multimedia journey of self-discovery.

Photo: Denim & Pythia. Photography & treatment by Fran Chudnoff.

Home Events Performance Oraculum: a world premiere

Oraculum: a world premiere

From Sunday, December 1 to Saturday, December 14, 2024 at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre: the world premiere of Oraculum, created and performed by Canadian premier drag artists Denim and Pythia, with a script by ghostwriter Lauren Gillis. A hybrid of drag and theatre, this production will take you on a sexy pagan multimedia journey.

Performance + puppetry + projection = an otherworldly spectacle

Get a glimpse into the enigmatic imaginations of Denim and Pythia as they take you on a journey of self- discovery and divine mystery, filtered through the crystal ball (or computer screen) of an online psychic reading website. Oraculum pulls back the velvet curtain on gender and spirituality in an avant-garde freak show setting that will enthral and delight.

“Denim and Pythia are two of Canada’s most daring drag artists, with wildly original visions and aesthetic, constantly challenging the notion of what drag is and looks like.”

– ted Witzel, Artistic Director, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

About Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is the world’s largest and longest-running queer theatre. For 46 years, Buddies has carved out a sexy, disobedient edge in Toronto’s theatre scene and has been a world leader in amplifying queer voices and developing their stories for the stage. In its year-round theatre season, Buddies is a home for artistic risk—a place where emerging talent hone their radical visions, and where established artists to do the daring works other theatres might shy away from. Since 1979, Buddies has welcomed over one million audience members and premiered over 1,000 new works for the stage.

About Denim and Pythia

Christos Darlasis (Pythia) is a Greek-Canadian artist, best known for his appearances as Pythia on Canada’s Drag Race Season 2 and RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars. Oraculum is his debut project at Buddies in Bad Times. Christos has a unique gift for turning fantasy into reality, weaving intricate storytelling through drag, which alchemizes his obsession with history, mythology, culture, fashion and art. He holds a degree in Costume and Set Design from the National Theatre School of Canada (2019), and his work embodies years of passion and devotion, delivering otherworldly experiences, every time he struts in heels on stage.

Emerson Sanderson (Denim) was born and raised in Prince Edward Island and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Intermedia and Cyber Arts from Concordia University in 2023. Drag allows Emerson to combine his passions of performance, fashion, makeup, video and textile art into one medium. Emerson’s drag persona, Denim, is best known for being on Canada’s Drag Race Season 4, showcasing her otherworldly looks and performances. As an autistic trans man, Denim seeks to broaden the boundaries of drag, making it more inclusive for neurodiverse and trans communities. Denim manifested from the hyper-feminine persona Emerson saw as a “gender performance” before his medical transition. Through Denim, Emerson explores identity as fluid, creating something physical and tangible from imposed gender and neurotypical stereotypes.

Oraculum is part of Buddies’ Queer Voices Canada Series, presented with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

 

Collage featuring text and photographs against a purple background. A drag performer, top right, is dressed in black and has long talon-like nails, holding a cigarette holder. The other, bottom centre, is a white, ethereal figure with alien creatures moving around her. Text: Oraculum.

(Photo credits: Denim & Pythia. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Photography and treatment by Fran Chudnoff.)

 

Event details

Hosted by: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and Denim & Pythia

Type of event: drag theatre performance

Created & performed by: Denim & Pythia

Script by: Lauren Gillis

Dates:

  • Sunday, December 1 – Saturday, December 14, 2024.
  • Masks will be mandatory for performances on Saturday, December 7 @ 2:00 PM ET & Tuesday, December 10 @ 7:30 PM ET.
  • There will also be a relaxed performance on Saturday December 7 @ 2:00 PM ET.

Start times:

  • Previews on Sunday, December 1 & Tuesday, December 3 @ 7:30 PM ET
  • Evening performances Tuesday – Saturday @ 7:30 PM ET
  • Matinées on Saturdays @ 2:00 PM ET

Duration: 90 minutes (intermission TBA)

Cost: C$13.00 – $88.00 (including $3.00 order fee)

Location: Tallulah’s Cabaret, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1B4

Booking link: Book your tickets here.

Contact Details: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1B4, Canada; 416-975-8555, Buddies box office: tickets@buddiesinbadtimes.com, buddiesinbadtimes.com

 

Accessibility: General info here. There will be a relaxed performance on Saturday December 7 @ 2:00 PM ET.

COVID-19 policy: See info here. Masks will be mandatory for performances on Saturday, December 7 @ 2:00 PM ET & Tuesday, December 10 @ 7:30 PM ET.

Refund policy: All refunds and exchanges must be requested 48 hours minimum in advance of the event and will be approved at the discretion of the Buddies in Bad Times and Tallulah’s Cabaret teams. A full refund of the ticket cost minus any applicable service fees will be credited within 30 days. The organizer is under no obligation to provide refunds or exchanges within 48 hours of the event start time.