Send in the Girls Burlesque
ABOUT
Made up of some of Edmonton's best indie theatre artists, Send in the Girls Burlesque is a collective concerned with matching the performance style of burlesque with the narrative of theatre to create burlesque that tells a story and goes a step above the usual bump-and-grind.
Founded in 2010 by Delia Barnett and Ellen Chorley, Send in the Girls Burlesque started off as the duo performing burlesque at a Nextfest nightclub. Delia taking on her alter ego, LeTabby Lexington, and Ellen transforming into Alabaster Albright/Dot Dot Dot.
Send in the Girls Burlesque was created to be a theatre company that explores the relationship between burlesque and everything theatrical. Similar to writing a new play, each number the troupe performs is storyboarded, scripted, workshopped, and revised before it is put in front of an audience. Character arc, message and theatricality are all given just as much consideration as what clothing comes off!
Send in the Girls is now under the umbrella of House of Hush Burlesque.
All of Send In the Girls Burlesque production and promo photos by dbphotographics.ca
HISTORY
Since 2011, Send In the Girls Burlesque (SITG) has been bringing a mash-up of theatre and burlesque to Edmonton audiences.
THE PLAYS: Tudor Queens: A Burlesque, A Brontë Burlesque, The Hollywoodland Burlesques, Bust 'Em Up Burlesque, and Soiled Doves.
THE REVUES: March Madness, Shakespeare's Sirens, With Glowing Hearts, Burlesque Babylon, Take it off Broadway, Mythical Mavens, and Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls.
Send In the Girls Burlesque's first full production, Tudor Queens: A Burlesque, was the hit of the 2011 Fringe festival. After a sold-out run in our original home (the now defunct New City Legion) the show was held over and sold out two more performances at the Westbury Theatre. It received the first ever Staff Choice Award, and received a Sterling Award nomination for “Best Production of a Fringe show”.
In 2012, SITG returned to The New City Legion with their second production, A Brontë Burlesque, a burlesque play based on the lives of the Brontë sisters and their brother. Another hit with audiences and critics alike, the show played to packed houses and was held over at the Westbury Theatre, where it sold-out both performances. In addition to works of theatre, in March 2012 Send in the Girls Burlesque created the sold-out March Madness, a revue-style show.
In 2013, Tudor Queens: A Burlesque was presented by Workshop West Theatre as part of the Canoe Theatre Festival.
In 2014, A Brontë Burlesque was presented by Theatre Network as part of their Performance Series.
Next up was a riveting and sexy exploration of the golden days of Hollywood with The Hollywoodland Burlesques - which was part of the 2014 Edmonton Fringe Festival.
In 2016, Send In the Girls was presented by the Citadel Theatre as part of their Made In Edmonton Cabaret series and debuted Bust 'Em Up Burlesque, a more immersive piece based on the infamous 40 Elephants Gang. That summer, SITG returned with a radical version of Shakespeare to the Edmonton Fringe, with the revue Shakespeare's Sirens, which later became a Sterling Award Finalist for “Outstanding Fringe Production.”
In the spring of 2017, SITG were invited to present a new revue, With Glowing Hearts, at the Jasper Pride festival. That summer the production transferred to the Edmonton Fringe, and ran in the beautiful Garneau Theatre. With Glowing Hearts was a Sterling Award Finalist for “Outstanding New Work”.
SITG came under the umbrella of House of Hush Burlesque in the summer of 2022, and presented brand-new show Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls to sold-out audiences at the Varscona Theatre for Edmonton Fringe.
SITG has also made a number of appearances all over Edmonton, Calgary and Jasper, including Nextfest Emerging Arts Festival, Theatre Garage’s Dead Are Restless Showcase, JMTF Artists for Life (Camp Fyrefly Fundraiser), Latitiude 53, Kaleido Family Arts Festival, the Jasper Pride Festival, and Fort Edmonton Park’s Capitol Theatre.
Media:
"This show hooks you with sex appeal, but then surprises with real, raw emotion, dramatic tension and first-class acting chops." — Vue Weekly
"...cleverly unsettling.... Fearless ... and hot!” — Edmonton Journal
5 STARS — Vue Weekly
"make sure you catch this show!" — CJSR
"This show deserves 5 out of 5 stars! I LOVED IT!" — Audience Review
"Wow! This show is so bloody brilliant!!!" — Audience Review
"...a benchmark for local burlesque.” — VUE WEEKLY
4.5 STARS — The Edmonton Journal