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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 2011)
• thearts OREGON'S LGBTO NEWSMAGAZINE NOVEMBER It. 2011 — — H— — ■Mi l — 3 7 — .[ W — J JAL P O W E R P P O O Ï “TV has become more raw now that A D el-uge of Donovan anyone with a camera can post crazy things online, and TV has to compete New pilot puts “post-camp” spin on family sitcom W hen Sissyboy founder M ark “Zebra” Thomas teamed up with co-writer John C a macho and director Devan M cG rath for a TV sitcom pilot, all three knew it was going to be something altogether different. Their creation, Delusional Donovan, will screen at Mississippi Studios Saturday, November 12. Delusional Donovan follows the daily life of 8-year-old Donovan Summers (Dylan Hill), witness to a traumatic event that has left his re ality a swirl of colorful visions. Starring Lee Kyle as Donovans drag queen mom, Splendora, and former Portland resident-turned-Mattachine matriarch Amber Martin as her partner, the show challenges conventional, family-oriented sitcoms. Thomas hopes to sell the project to a con- tent-hungry network, and says he feels net work T V is ready to take on the more adven turous programming of the Internet. “T V has become more raw now that anyone with a camera can post crazy things online, and T V has to compete with that,” explained Thomas. Thomas and Camacho prefer to dub the project “post-cam p”— a concept they mulled over during the show’s development. with that.” —MARK “ZEBRA” THOMAS, CO-CREATOR, DELUSIONAL DONOVAN “We’re still working with those classic camp ideas such as drag queens as mothers, or lesbians with mullets, but we are adding another layer to these often two-dimensional and offensive char acters,” said Thomas. “Delusional Donovan gives heart and complex emotions to characters that in the past mostly made potty jokes.” For more information, search “Delusional Dono van” on Facebook. rIhe pilot screening takes place Sat., Nov. 12 at Mississippi Studios (3939 N. Mississippi Ave.). A red carpet reception begins at 6 p.m., with screenings at 7 and 9p. m. Admis sion is on a S5-Í10 sliding scale. Southern Exposure Heart Breaks Open hits Stumptown as part of Northwest Filmmakers’ Fest In the Billie Rain-directed, Basil Shadid- produced indie flick Heart Breaks Open, Jesus (Maximillian Davis) is a suicide counselor and queer activist who learns he’s contracted HIV ‘r. jt s+T+S' « 0 Vi * 'I 3 *» Sister Alysa Trailer (Brian Peters) in Heart Breaks Open following an infidelity.Tortured by the prospect o f coming clean to his longtime partner Johnny (Samonte Cruz), Jesus hits the bottle and the pills until his self-destruction is curbed by Sis ter Alysa Trailer (Brian Peters), a member of Seattle’s Sisters o f Perpetual Indulgence. Heart Breaks Open, filmed on location in the Emerald City, uses improvisation and non actors to create a documentary-like feel. But whereas some features dealing with H IV positive characters focus on the frequent mes sage o f prevention, Heart looks at a more unique struggle. “We wanted to explore the complex reali ties around an individual who tests positive through decisions that don’t align with their own values,” explained Shadid. “This is just one story o f one person who contracts HIV. W h at’s universal about the film, however, is the story o f someone who wrestles with their own shadow side.” JUS Heart Breaks Open screens with Austin U n bound at 8:45 p.m. Tues., Nov. 15 at the Port land A rt Museum (1219 SWPark), as part o f the 38th Annual Northwest Filmmakers' Festival. Tickets are $9, $8 fo r students/seniors/museum members. Visit festivals.nwfilm.org/nwfest38, and fo r more information on H eart Breaks Open, visit heartbreaksopen.com. YEARS after you quit smoking, your risk of stroke is like someone who’s never smoked -V* But right now, you’re a STROKE waiting to happen Q u it s m o k in g to d a y . CALL 1.800.QUIT.NOW
