NEWS
Charles Busch wears many hats (and wigs). He’s a playwright, actor, director, novelist, drag legend, and cabaret entertainer, and for 26 years he’s turned this West Village apartment into a home absolutely dripping with drama, details, and delightful decor elements. Read more
The Sixth Reel
A new film by Charles Busch and Carl Andress
It premiered at Outfest in LA on August 19, 2021 and received the
2021 Outfest Grand Jury Award for U.S. Narrative Feature Special Mention for Ensemble Performance
My longtime friend and colleague Carl Andress and I had the opportunity to co-write this madcap contemporary comedy caper film, The Sixth Reel over Skype while residing in different states and co-directed the movie at the height of the pandemic with an incredible “Grand Hotel” cast of suddenly available stars. Julie Halston, Tim Daly, Margaret Cho, Patrick Page, André de Shields, Doug Plaut, Dee Hoty, Richard Bekins, Cady Huffman, John Ellison Conlee, Heather Macrae, T. Oliver Reid, Ashley Austin Morris.
It’s about a group of obsessed classic film collectors and dealers who experience a kind of miracle and that’s rather how all of us involved in the movie feel at this moment.
The Sixth Reel schedule:
September 24 - October 3, 2021
2021 Out on Film
Atlanta's LGBTQ Film Festival
For more information and tickets: eventive.org
September 27, 2021
qFLIX Philadelphia 2021,
The LGBTQ+ Film Festival
For more information and tickets: qFLIX/e/TheSixthReel
September 30, 2021
Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+
International Film Festival
For more information and tickets:
October 15 - 26, 2021
New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival!
Streaming: October 15 - 26
In Person: October 18 at SVA Theatre
For more information and tickets: newfest.org
The Sixth Reel Official Trailer
Scroll Through Slideshow for Performances and Events
"I feel like I’ve woken up on Christmas morning. A story I wrote about Aunt Lil is appearing in the New Yorker. It is posted on their website."
Here’s the link. https://www.newyorker.com
On March 9th, Charles was awarded the
2020 Bistro Award for Creative Artistry in cabaret
This past season Charles's play The Confession of Lily Dare was nominated for Best Play by the Off-Broadway Alliance. He was also nominated for Outstanding Actor in a play by the Drama Desk Awards and Best Lead Actor in a play by the Lucille Lortel Awards.
In the past few months, Charles has appeared in live virtual streamed performances for Seth Rudestsky and James Wesley's Plays in the House in readings of The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, The Divine Sister, Die Mommie Die and The Confession of Lily Dare.
For Theater the New City, he appeared in a live streamed reading of his play Visitors in the Dark and as Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest for LA's Scripts Gone Wild.
The New York Times
Charles Busch’s New Phase Isn’t Drag. It’s Green Paisley
By Elysa Gardner
"Perched on a stool on the stage of Feinstein’s/54 Below, Charles Busch eased into the first bars of Diana Ross’s torchy 1973 hit “Touch Me in the Morning,” his voice soft and husky, his delivery relaxed but rueful.... " Read More
Whether singing or dishing about his life or celebrities he has known, he is always, always the epitome of entertainment and class.
Cabaret Scenes
Charles Busch has the gift of comic gab like few other entertainers. Innately funny, endearing and acutely intelligent.
The New York Times
On July 28, 2018 Charles received the Flora Roberts Award from the Dramatist's Guild at their annual gala.
The award is designed to recognize artists--primarily playwrights--not only for the excellence of their body of work, but also for a demonstrated dedication to a career in the theater--to a life lived in the theater. Past recipients include Adrienne Kennedy, Michael Weller, Philip Kan Gotanda, Craig Lucas, Charles Fuller, and Dael Orlandersmith.
At long last!
Actor/playwright/novelist/film director/female impersonator/quick sketch portrait artist/zipper factory receptionist/ice cream scooper and now RECORDING ARTIST!!! My first CD has been released!
"I sing ballads, jazz tunes, lots of storytelling, Miriam Passman, all that and my wonderful musical director Tom Judson, on piano and joining me on the duets."
Available on Amazon, iTunes and BroadwayRecords.com
"One of my favorite songs on the CD is The Rainbow Connection. Here I am singing this lovely song at Richard Skipper's variety show at the Triad Theatre."
Turner Classic Movies commissioned me along with 20 other celebrities to create an original piece of artwork based on classic film to celebrate their twentieth anniversary on the air. It really meant a lot to me to be a part of this celebration. And I'm very proud of the pastel drawing. I call it "The Girl With Something Special." It's inspired by all the anonymous chorus girls in the kaleidoscopic Busby Berkeley movies of the thirties. I'm now selling a limited edition of twenty-five giclee prints on the wonderful Broadway Design Exchange website. Here's the link. http://shop.broadwaydesignexchange.com
