Now a household name in Banff, Miss Ellen Q hopes to widen her sphere of influence in the valley by bringing her fabulous self to Canmore for a one night only show that is guaranteed to be epic.
Miss Ellen Q Does Canmore takes stage at Cornerstone Theatre next Friday (Jan. 22) featuring the local’s only and favourite drag queen, portrayed by Joseph Bembridge.
Bembridge introduced Miss Ellen three years ago as part of Banff’s inaugural Pride event and has sold out shows in that community each year since.
But having grown up in Canmore himself, Bembridge wanted to show some hometown love and include the other half of the Bow Valley in a fundraiser for the next Pride event set to take place in October.
“We have seen really great success with our shows in Banff from day one, which is great,” Bembridge said. “I always refer to drag as an art form. For the gay community, it is our art form and it is something our community really embraces as an expression of ourselves. So it has been really fun to develop Miss Ellen Q – she is a character and a persona.”
With a university background in theatre and experience on the stages of Montreal, when Bembridge moved back to the valley he found acting opportunities for him to be wanting. As an outlet and expression of his artistic nature, he resurrected Miss Ellen Q, who was a character he originally developed when he was 18 years old.
“It is amazing how much Banff has totally fallen in love with her,” he said. “She is a name recognized around town. She is awesome and funny. Now it is time to launch her to become a household name in Canmore.”
All six Pumas, Miss Ellen’s backup dancers, and drag queens Argintina and Visa de Klein will join Bembridge for the show and are ready to throw down. He said along with the Pumas, Miss Ellen’s top nine show-stopping wow numbers were selected for the performance.
With more than 40 songs performed already, including choreography, he said the top nine are iconic routines that will not disappoint – except maybe if you ever want to see them again.
“We are bringing our best of the best for the show … but this is the last time we will perform them,” Bembridge said. “I can’t give you any clues, but for Banffites they will be sad to see them go and for Canmore we are only showing you the best of what we do, so you are in for a treat.”
The mandate of Banff Pride is to create visibly queer events in the Bow Valley and this particular fundraiser will help the organization purchase banners to display along Banff Avenue during Pride. Those banners come with a $4,000 price tag, but once purchased will continue to contribute toward creating awareness for years to come.
“Banff and the Bow Valley continues to show we are a safe space for the LGTBQ community – both within our community and people who come to visit,” Bembridge said. “There is still a lot of work to do, but by having visibly queer happenings and emblems it goes to show as a community how progressive and inclusive we are.”
Tickets are available at bitly.com/missellendqdoescanmore or Hello Vintage in Canmore and Last Temptation of Thrift in Banff. Regular admission is $15, but for VIP access to the meet and greet area, including photos with Miss Ellen and crew, tickets are $25.
