About Spectrum Theatre
Spectrum Theatre is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Our specific purpose is to celebrate the historical legacy of the psychedelic, genderbending, San Francisco theatrical troupe, the Cockettes, while continuing that history with new stage productions and multi-media projects with the Cockettes Nouveau and other performers.
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A Brief History of the Cockettes
In 1969, The Cockettes debuted at the Palace Theater in San Francisco with their midnight sensation the Nocturnal Dream Show starring a genderbending, glitter-encrusted, drug-induced theater troupe who took drag and old Hollywood musicals and turned them inside out and upside down, attracting the attention of the American underground culture.
The Cockette’s sprawling, kaleidoscopic pantheon of colorful personalities included icons like Hibiscus, the founder, and Sylvester who would become a disco legend. The shows attracted underground personalities, most notably drag superstar Divine, cult film icon John Waters, and Mink Stole. The Cockettes were ahead of their time, especially in the acceptance of gender fluidity and glittered beards, and they changed the face of drag forever.
Although the Cockettes disbanded in 1972, its many members kept the group’s spirit alive; in 2009, a theater troupe called the Thrillpeddlers helmed by Russell Blackwood revived a legendary Cockettes show called Pearls Over Shanghai to much acclaim and a long 22 month run. Playing on the interest already garnered by David Weissman & Bill Weber’s The Cockettes documentary released in 2002, interest in this troupe was reawakened and entertained an entirely new and appreciative audience. Over the next decade, The Thrillpeddlers continued recreating Cockette shows under the watchful eye of the original songwriter and Cockette Scrumbly Koldewyn.
Fifty years later in 2020, they celebrated their golden anniversary with an epic, sold-out event featuring many of their classic numbers and a special appearance by cult film icon John Waters at the Victoria Theatre in San Francisco. Additional shows were booked to continue the celebration, but COVID changed those plans.
After Covid, the Cockettes, now rebranded Cockettes Nouveau, were back with a new generation of performers made up of Thrillpeddler veterans, Koldewyn, and some new blood. They sold out multiple shows at Oasis in San Francisco, PianoFight in Oakland, and Joe’s Pub in New York City for the last two years.
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Producer Dan Karkoska, Assistant Director Birdie Bob Watt, and Scrumbly Koldewyn want to continue to spread the word about the Cockettes in San Francisco, New York City, Palm Springs, and beyond.
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