EVENT PREVIEW BY GARETH K VILE.
PUBLISHED IN THE SKINNY 02 MARCH 2009
Diane Torr creates work that is humorous, intimate, accessible and serious. Emerging from her formidable intellect and compassion, Donald Does Dusty has a personal origin, but encompasses broader matters.
DDD is a tribute to her brother. “He died of Aids in 1992, and was an extraordinary person, going from this housing estate near Aberdeen to be a wealthy property dealer in London,” says Torr. “He died at 43, and seemed so unfair that he never lived to enjoy the fruits of his labour.”
The show homes in on Donald’s youthful fascination with Dusty Springfield. “My brother somehow knew that Dusty was a lesbian. She was like a light for him,” she recalls. Perhaps importantly: “He performed Dusty – I’d be the one who watched him.” This was Torr’s first contact with drag. “He would dress up in my mother’s clothes – her evening dress and fur stole, long diamante earrings. Then I’d get bored, and he’d throw a tantrum.”
Since Torr is most famous as a drag king, with both workshops and performances, this early encounter appears crucial. As Donald was an actor, his influence on Diane’s path seems key. “He would make jokes that he would dress up as me and I’d dress up as him, and we’d perform together – but it never happened because he died.”
Donald Does Dusty is a personal work, but grapples with themes of gender identity, family relationships, inspiration and mourning. Torr’s consummate stagecraft, sensitivity and desire to communicate with the audience promises a moving and thought-provoking evening.
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