IT: Welcome, Katie. May I call you Katie?
KA: Yes, please.
IT: Excellent. Now, as CEO of Angel Burlesque, you’ve been a busy lady haven’t you? Tell us a little more about running a successful burlesque company in Indiana.
KA: I've been so busy! Last Thursday I had a nine-hour rehearsal session - we ran through nine different routines and today I had a six-hour rehearsal session. I have a lot to do at home with writing the script, promoting the show, building my own costumes and props and also helping my performers with their costumes and props.
IT: So you basically do a bit of everything?
KA: Yes. As the CEO it's my job to keep an eye on the overall picture. There are aspects of the job that I love and aspects that I find a bit tedious but need to be done anyway.
IT: Burlesque is making quite the comeback across the Midwest. How does it feel to be at the forefront of that?
KA: It's funny because while burlesque is so hot in Indianapolis right now, the revival started in the early to mid-90s on the coasts. So while I do feel like I'm on the forefront in the midwest, we'll go to the conferences or larger workshops like the Burlesque Hall of Fame weekend in June in Las Vegas and we feel like such Baby Burlesquers. We're so new! But people in New York and in California have been working and building their international reputations for years now. We have a lot of catching up to do to make Indy a real presence in the national burlesque scene.
IT: I like the fresh and raw aspect you bring to the scene. As a frequent patron of Crackers Comedy Club, I feel like I see one or two new performers every time I see an Angel Burlesque show. How many performers, at last count, do you have?
KA: Ooh...let me count.
IT: Take your time.
KA: What's especially neat about the Crackers scene is this Open Bra (Like an Open Mic Night but with Burlesque) series we have created. We have given an opportunity for people who have never done burlesque before to try it out and we are also very inviting to other burlesque troupes to perform and have a chance to be onstage. With burlesque, especially, you cannot improve unless you perform and we give people a chance to perform. Anyway, at last count, we have 25 Angels - some more or less involved than others, which is the beauty of having so many performers.
IT: And you have an emerging boy-lesque scene, am I right?
KA: Oh, yes! And with boy-lesque I am particularly excited that we are hosting Ray Gunn from Chicago's Stage Door Johnnies at our Halloween Boo-lesque show! Right now we have two gentlemen Angels. A new Angel boy-lesquer is going to make his debut at Halloween and we've finally had a boy-lesque performer at our Open Bra night - we did a routine to the Reverend Horton Heat's Where in the Hell Did You Go with My Toothbrush? He was our first straight boy-lesquer and our first gentleman who is larger and not model perfect to get onstage - everyone loved him.
IT: What would you say to people who say that Burlesque is “probably not my scene”?
KA: First, I want to figure out what is their perception of burlesque? Do they not like to laugh? Do they not like good-natured fun? I feel a lot of people have a lot of misconceptions about burlesque. We are not a strip club; we are not grinding on poles or giving lap dances. We are a very theatrically based group of performers that don't take ourselves too seriously, but love entertaining people and making them laugh. Do we take off our clothes? Yes. But the way we take off our clothes is usually hilarious or very stylized and lots of fun. The most common response I get after a show from a newbie audience member is 1) "I had no idea it would be so funny and I'd have so much fun" and 2) "Seeing those real bodies onstage makes me feel confident and proud to be a woman" - unless you're a dude, then you don't think the last part. But if you did, that'd be okay too.
IT: Haha. Well, I'm glad we got to shatter some myths, there.
KA: I'm always intrigued to see why people are not interested in coming to a show - especially guys. Usually, if they are in a relationship they might be hesitant because they are not sure what their wife or girlfriend would think, but the girls are the ones having the most fun!
IT: So how can fans and even reluctant newcomers keep up-to-date with the latest Angel Burlesque events?
KA: Facebook is best: www.facebook.com/angelburlesque. Also www.angelburlesque.com. We have great videos and picture galleries online. Brigitte Petite, one of our lovely ladies, keeps our website up to date...bless her.
IT: Awesome! Now you spoke a little bit about recruiting new Angels. How should one go about becoming a member of Angel Burlesque?
KA: The best way is to attend a workshop - our next one is on December 4th (which sounds so far away, but with the holidays it will be here sooner than we think) - and to take a big breath and sign up to do a routine at our next Open Bra on Monday, December 12th. There is a sign up sheet on our website and you can apply to perform. As a part of the Open Bra Night, all of the performers get a free coaching session with one of the Head Angels to help prepare you for performing. Our last few Angels came out of the workshops. People who were interested took a workshop, learned how to build a routine, and then performed. We were impressed and invited them to join us.
IT: Final question: A little birdie tells me you have one or two other big events coming up before Open Bra Night?
KA: Yes, so many fun things. Thursday, October 27 thru Saturday, October 29th there are five opportunities to see our Boo-lesque! Things that Go Bump (and Grind) in the Night! show with special guest Ray Gunn at the Crackers Comedy Club at Broad Ripple. Thursday-Saturday at 8;00; Friday and Saturday also at 10:30, Tickets at www.angelburlesque.com or save a $2 web charge and call 317-255-4211. Also, we are performing at Deluxe in the Old National Center on Friday, November 4th and Friday, December 2nd at 9:30. Tickets at www.livenation.com or by calling 317-536-6512. In November there is a Food Truck Festival so you can get some tasty eats and then go see some tasty treats onstage.
IT: I know I said "final question", but I almost forgot the Indy tribune's signature question, which is... "do you have any questions for us?"
KA: If you had to wear a dress in public and couldn't explain that it was on a dare, would you wear red or black and why?
IT: I'd wear red because it matches my lips, but don't tell my readers that... oops, too late.
KA: (Laughter) Awesome!
IT: And on that note, Mrs Katie Angel, you are free to leave!
KA: Thanks! I'm going to bed.