What is Stage Fright?

Stage Fright is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is in its third year of producing the world’s first queer horror theatre festival - happening every October in Oregon and produced by local artists Amica Hunter and Jeff Desautels. Stage Fright brings together small companies and solo performers offering a variety of original works inspired by the genre of horror with a queer perspective, from full productions to cabaret acts. Past years' shows have included everything from drag ghost hunters and occult inspirational speakers, to polyamorous aliens and grave-digging clowns.

What Your Sacrifice Means To Us

Now with a team of over 10 volunteers, Stage Fright is right on the cusp of blossoming into a being rivaling the likes of the honey fungus, the world's largest living organism residing in eastern Oregon.

"Queer horror theatre" is a genre that we believe is about to catch fire, and we are proud to be among those sparks. Your sacrifice of capital means we can stoke the flames and spread our...dare we say...agenda.

Theatre is expensive, resource-heavy, and ephemeral. Affordable ticket sales simply do not cover the bill. We need your donations to cover overhead costs. We are investing in lighting, a technical and production crew, and suitably creepy art installations. Not to mention administrative costs, software, and all the expenses that go into being a Nonprofit!

Not only that, but if you plan on attending the festival, you have a chance to support us, secure a ticket, and access our pre-sale! Read on for single tickets to our special events, and special main show packages!

WE ALSO HAVE SHIRTS.

Is your capital more social than financial?

Share our campaign far and wide! This is perhaps even more valuable to us than your dollar, and we WILL take notice of your good deeds. Join our ranks by clicking the JOIN US button up top!

We are pleased to offer the following thank-you gifts for your sacrifice:

$10 - Sponsor a Cue - Ticket to any non-Mainstage show (Cabaret, Shorts, Works-in-progress, film screening, or to-be-announced special events that YOU decide! Read on!) Full lineup will be announced soon, and you will be invited to a pre-sale to claim your ticket. PLUS: Vote in our poll to let us know what special events you would like to see!

$25 – Sponsor a Prop - above, plus an 8 x 10 print of this photo of Amica and Jeff, by Anthony Arnista. Prints provided by our sponsor, Photo to Canvas!

$30 – Sponsor a Costume - Get a T-Shirt or Tank Top!

Go HERE to order your T-Shirt: bonfire.com/stagefrightfestival

$100 – Sponsor a Stage Light - See All Mainstage shows and our Touring show (5 tickets) Shirts sold separately.

$250 – Sponsor an Artist - Become a member of the Inner Circle – all above (including a shirt!) plus: Reserved seating, a complimentary beverage, Opening Ceremony invite

$500 – Sponsor a Show - all above, plus: Producer credit for a Mainstage show- photo with cast and signed poster, guest appearance on the special pre-show serial sitcom, My Wife, The Grub!

$1000 – Festival Producer - all above plus: Producer credit for the festival- be honored by your loved ones in a Living Funeral performance by Amica Hunter, shout out on website, social media, opportunities to participate in festival planning, and add your mark to our blood tarp (with fake blood, of course!)

About Us

Founders Jeff Desautels (he/him) and Amica Hunter (they/them) share LGBTQIA+ identities, and are professional performers with over twenty years of combined experience creating, performing, touring, and producing indie theater. With backgrounds in physical comedy, drag, and vaudeville performance, Amica and Jeff create popular entertainment, often comedic in nature, with a subversive edge.

Why Queer Horror?

Horror has long had a special connection to queer culture. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, many male writers of the Gothic novels popular at the time were homosexuals, and used their stories to express forbidden and even unnamable desires. The monster or antagonist of a horror story can represent being “other” in the status quo world. Many horror storytellers—out or otherwise—have used the genre to express their own queerness, and to illustrate the fear of going against what society thought was permissible. For several decades in the 20th century, the Motion Picture Production Code made portraying gay relationships and themes illegal. Horror filmmakers would often code their stories so that queers could recognize themselves within, but the rest of the audience could choose to ignore the flags. Today, we may more openly tell LGBTQ+ stories, but the horror genre still appeals to people who feel like outsiders, iconoclasts, trailblazers, and boundary pushers.

Values

Artistic Integrity: We make sure our values are reflected in our work, experimenting and pushing the limits of live performance, while employing technical precision, skill, and dedication.

Queer Perspective: We present stories and characters that fall outside of social norms, sharing the perspective of those not often represented, and challenging the dominant paradigm with unique work that is quirky, subversive, camp, punk, and disorienting.

Horror: We focus primarily on horror because the genre holds a profound place within queer culture, serving as more than mere entertainment but as a symbiotic vessel for expression, empowerment, and exploration.

Community: Leading by example, we nurture community appreciation for and participation in horror theater, and independent live performance in general. We aim to produce entertainment that appeals to audiences who might feel alienated by or uninterested in typical theater.

Growth: We strive for a financial model that pays our artists competitive fees, attracting local and touring artists. We are developing year-round programming. We will eventually operate our own venue that can support a suite of programming that includes community events, workshops, and educational programs.

Details of The Festival:

Stage Fright Festival will take place this October 3rd through the 13th at Chapel Theatre in Milwaukie, OR.

Schedule

The festival will run almost every day, and produce 28 individual performances between Thursday October 3rd, and Sunday the 13th. Our 4 local “mainstage” shows will each play 3 times throughout the 10 days, and will be the highlight of the festival. We will also have an out-of-town touring show with 3 performances in the second weekend. Other programming includes: curated collections of horror shorts, work-in-development showcases, cabaret nights, a scary story “open mic”, a film screening, and several shows yet-to-be-determined that could include a drag show, spooky BINGO, or improv night.

Venue

Chapel Theatre is a renovated church that will provide the perfect spooky atmosphere for Stage Fright. Chapel Theatre is a growing and successful venue that attracts audiences eager for a variety of entertainment, operated by industry professionals who know how to provide the best possible experience for patrons. The venue has its own parking lot, many restrooms, onsite rehearsal spaces and dressing rooms, a lobby, and a large seating area capable of multiple configurations – amenities that are not often available at Portland venues.

Atmosphere

Our love for macabre decadence will be apparent to all who enter, as Stage Fright will incorporate not just shows but interactive lobby installations, food and beverages, thematically appropriate vendors, plus music, lights, and decor to hone a refined sense of creepy class. Our team’s attention to detail has paid off in past years, with offerings such as a public use costume box, a real climb-inside casket / selfie station, and even a hand-crafted harmonograph allowing guests to create mesmerizing mechanical doodles for free in between shows.

WELL WAIT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? ...CLICK "SACRIFICE" NOW.

THANK YOU FOR READING.

Sacrifice to Stage Fright Festival III

By Stage Fright

Sacrifice to Stage Fright Festival III

WE'RE COMING BACK! MAKE US STRONG!

Team Members