The Lavender Blues
A Showcase of
Queer Music Before World War II
Created and performed by
Sarah Skinner Kilborne
One of twelve international shows chosen a 2017 Up Next! Discovery by the Association of Performing Arts Professionals
Photo credits of Sarah: Janeo O’Connor
With The Lavender Blues performance artist Sarah Kilborne brings to light for the first time the quiet, yet powerful emergence between the world wars of songs that spoke about what it was like to be queer or "in the life."
Women performers were at the forefront of this quiet revolution in song, which coincided with the birth of the recording industry, ensuring that this music would last. Men, too, played pivotal roles as producers, accompanists and songwriters, and the stories behind the songs are every bit as powerful as their lyrics.
Featuring music from vaudeville, the blues, early jazz, Tin Pan Alley, and more, The Lavender Blues takes us on a musical journey that illuminates a courageous and colorful time in America's past when pioneering artists sang boldly about sexual and gender fluidity — daring even for today, and as deliciously fun and inspiring as ever.
Run time 90 Minutes, no intermission
“The songs are as good as the story and Kilborne is as good as the songs.” - Enid Futterman, Imby.com
“An exciting new work in development” - Association of Performing Arts Professionals
PERFORMANCES
LECTURES
WORKSHOPS
The Lavender Blues offers colleges, universities and community-oriented venues a dynamic opportunity to entertain as well as inform and engage. Not only a performance artist, but also an author, lecturer and activist, Sarah brings her passions equally to the stage, the classroom and the lecture hall. In addition to performing The Lavender Blues, she offers performance workshops, public presentations on women’s and LGBTQ history, and discussions about the creative process, including her own experience with The Lavender Blues.
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"Sarah's show is an eye-opener whether you are straight or LGBTQA - It's a glimpse into a world and music you don't know. It is as entertaining as it is educational, and funny."
— Neil Gaiman, Author
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"Deeply moving and compelling and thoroughly relevant to life today."
— James R. Ball III, Director of the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, Texas A&M University
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"Sarah Kilborne has created a captivating blend of history and music, bringing to light stories from our past that have too long been hidden. It is rare to find a show that so deftly presents challenging historical material woven together with a masterful musical performance."
— Kate Preissler, Director, Wistariahurst Museum
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“Sarah Kilborne has a gift for running her hands over the dry pages of history and sensing stories that really “want” to be told. This lends a special immediacy to the material she presents onstage. Her entire work is an homage [to LGBTQ pioneers].”
— John Shaffer, former Director of Arts Programming, SUNY Oswego
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"We were thrilled to bring The Lavender Blues to our community. Witty, funny and so much more, this show is a smart, entertaining way to remember and learn about our history. Every single person stopped to thank us after the show."
— Michelle Patrick, Co-chair Pride Portland!
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"Sarah Kilborne's first one-woman show is an enlightening, enchanting trip to a place in time you never knew took place: Kilborne, creator and performer, has not only unearthed buried treasure, she brings its ghosts to life and glory."
— Enid Futterman, Imby.com
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“The Lavender Blues is a combination of live music, music history, humor and mission. How did these entertainers and their music affect the mainstream culture? Audience members will leave performances knowing that they have learned something – and this new knowledge will be shared with others… One of the finest presentations I have seen.”
— Ted Zalewski, Founder and Leader of Solo Together
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"An amazing performance. I had no idea of so much of this history."
— Michael Weidrich, former Executive Director & CEO, Pride Center of the Capital Region