For nine years, producer/director Red Vaughan Tremmel immersed himself in the world of burlesque while shooting his documentary, Exotic World and the Burlesque Revival ( narrated by Margaret Cho ) . His film chronicles former striptease dancer Dixie Evans' transformation of a goat barn in the middle of the Mojave Desert into the world's only burlesque museum.
To get this museum off the ground, Evans used her social security checks as a funding source so she could carry on the dream of another striptease dancer, the late Jennie Lee ( who was the first labor-union organizer for burlesque dancers in the 1950s ) , who first conceived of this idea in the late 1950s. "Evans and Lee felt that the history of burlesque had been swept under the rug and that if they didn't preserve it, no one would," said Tremmel. Their dream continued with Lee's widower, Charlie Arroyo, stepping in to help Evans keep the museum alive.
While touring the museum with Evans, Tremmel ( who was drawn to this subject matter while doing research on another project ) was compelled to make this film, noting, "I was not only convinced but impressed by the power the two women had to manifest their vision in the blazing hot, isolation of the desert."
Tremmel spent a number of years building relationship by observing and listening. His goal was not a predetermined story but rather an organic unfolding of the story as participants shared what they felt was important about their lives. The film showcases the annual burlesque show, pilgrimages of young burlesque revivalists to the museum, interviews with the aging stars and footage of their past performances.
It was an intense shoot, as Tremmel and his crew spent 10 hours a day in the desert with temperatures above 115 degrees and extreme wind and to top that off the museum had no air conditioning. Tremmel noted that it was a challenge but the elements kept them grounded and in tune with their bodies and need for water.
Although there were many challenges Tremmel noted, "I have never worked on a project that had so many open doors. Any time there seemed to be a challenge, a solution or another way would present itself. I often tell people that the film is making itself—we are all just working on its behalf." He said that every member of the crew cried at least once and there were many funny moments with laughter and joy during the entire shoot.
Sneak peeks of the film have recently been shown to audiences at the 2011 Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada where they received positive feedback from the audience and two standing ovations in a row. Tremmel and Director of Development Jessica Halem ( both former Chicagoans ) also showed the film to a small group of people here in Chicago last week with a post-show discussion following the screening. Halem, while touring as a stand-up comedienne, has been getting the word out about the production and fundraising efforts in her role as Director of Development.
To fund the actual shoot and some of post-production, they held Gurlesque Burlesque shows ( produced by the Sissy Butch Brothers ) in Chicago a number of years ago. Cho was invited to participate in those fundraisers after Tremmel met her backstage at a Miss Exotic World reunion where Cho was the emcee and a performer. They hit it off and, because of Cho's belief in the project, she enthusiastically agreed to help out at the fundraisers and to narrate the film.
The Gurlesque Burlesque shows were a huge success but they could not cover the entire cost of the film. To finish the post-production process and release the film to a wider audience, they launched a Kickstarter campaign online where people can donate any amount of money to help see this project to fruition. More than 200 people have backed the film and have raised half the funds needed to pay for music-licensing fees, archival footage fees, film-festival entry fees, sound mixing, color correction, mastering and other post production touch-ups. They need to raise $25,000 by July 12 at 1:40 p.m. ET; otherwise they will not be able to release the film.
"This project belongs to so many people—the Chicago community, the worldwide burlesque community, etc. We are lucky that everyone involved with the film has seen it and loves it and has sung it's praises far and wide—but we need more," Tremmel and Halem stated in an email, adding, "We hope everyone reading this will watch our trailer, check out the videos on our Kickstarter page and get involved!"
For more information on the documentary or to make a donation, visit exoticworldthemovie.com and www.kickstarter.com/projects/jessicahalem/exotic-world-and-the-burlesque-revival. To find out more about Halem visit www.jessicahalem.com .
Also please see related story in this issue at www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php
