Every year, artists contribute to festivals around the globe to help celebrate the value of art and its ability to cover challenging topics, like racism and gender issues, that some attendees would perhaps not be thinking about. A good example of this is Victoria’s own UNO Fest, which is running online from April 20 to May 24 this year, showcasing shows and artists from throughout the season instead of its usual 10-day format. Case in point: one of the shows at UNO Fest this year is Looking for Tiger Lily, as performed by Portland’s Anthony Hudson, also known as drag clown Carla Rossi.
“I’m an artist and a writer and a performer and I have ben making work as Carla and as myself for about 11 years now,” says Hudson.
What Hudson hopes to achieve with this performance is to put a spotlight on the topic of racism and the negative impact it can have on our society as a whole.
“Sean [Guist, co-artistic and marketing director] at Intrepid Theatre reached out to me and was interested in showing Looking for Tiger Lily; that was in the before times, pre-pandemic times,” says Hudson.
But the two managed to make the show happen online for this year’s UNO Fest. Hudson says that the performance takes from personal experience.
“Looking for Tiger Lily is a solo show that I’ve been performing and touring for five years now,” they say. “It’s about growing up and coming into consciousness as a mixed-race person and someone who is native and queer.”
Hudson also says that the show is about being younger and seeing Indigenous culture portrayed in a negative light.
“It’s about kind of growing up and seeing so many instances of redface in pop culture,” they say, “so, seeing really harmful depictions and stereotypical depictions of Indigenous people.”
Hudson admits that they don’t know much about the other acts at UNO Fest this year, but they are looking forward to checking out what’s in store.
“I’m excited to learn more about them as the festival happens,” says Hudson, “and I get to watch along with everyone else.”
Looking for Tiger Lily
Streaming on demand, Tuesday, May 4 to Friday, May 9
(In Conversation with Anthony Hudson takes place at 7:30 pm Tuesday, May 4)
$10
intrepidtheatre.com/festivals/uno-fest