By Connie Smart
She spent $120 on the shiny gold pumps that made her already tall stature almost intimidating.
Drag queen Maxi Coverage ordered the shoes from the U.S. specifically for her musical number in “Pride — The Celebration Begins,” a Pride 2003 benefit gala that was cancelled on March 10 due to low advanced ticket sales.
“I bought these in honour of the gala,” said Coverage, who grinned beneath her long blond hair while proudly showing off her purchase.
The shoes held up long legs exposed by a tight black micro-mini skirt. “Now — well, at least I have a souvenir.”
Coverage’s friendly face was among a sea of teary eyes and hopeful smiles that filled a private section of the Lookout Bar and Bistro on March 13. The bar was hosting a cast party to celebrate the efforts of the gala’s organizers and performers.
About 80 musical performers had been set to grace the stage that night in the National Arts Centre’s 1,000-seat theatre.
The show was to be both a kick-off to the 2003 Pride Festival season and a benefit to raise money for the 2003 Pride organizing committee. Last year’s committee had racked up a deficit of about $40,000.
Yet while both organizers and performers said the cancellation was disappointing, they agreed it was now serving as a wake-up call to Ottawa residents about the need to support Pride events on a regular basis.
“Customarily, Pride is a one-week festival in the summer and it’s imprinted in people’s brains that you can only be free for that one week in the year,” said Jacques Bourguignon, prior to the party. Bourguignon is co-founder of La-te-da Productions, which was organizing the gala in association with the NAC.
This was the second time the gala had to be cancelled. A failed attempt to organize last year’s event was blamed on a lack of preparation time, said Bourguignon.
“If anything, the repercussions of this (second) cancellation are bringing the (GLBT) community closer together. They’re creating some solidarity about the need to support each other every day of the year,” he said.
Bourguignon explained that with only 15 per cent of tickets sold, they had no choice but to cancel. He added that while the NAC had donated the use of the theatre, production costs alone would have amounted to $9,000.
He said they would’ve had to sell at least 50 per cent of tickets just to break even.
Local singer/songwriter Lori Jean Hodge attended the cast party and was also involved in the first attempt to hold the event.
She said she was shocked to learn the gala had been cancelled yet again , but was optimistic that a third try would be successful.
“I think life is not always perfect and it’s what you do given the circumstances that’s important,” said Hodge. “I really think this (the cancellation) has offered us a chance to pull together and turn this into something positive.”
Hodge added she would be more than willing to participate in another attempt.
Pride 2003 committee president Ghislain Rousseau said it’s determination like Hodge’s that will see the gala take place at some point in the future.
In the meantime, Rousseau said the Pride committee is now at odds with how to overcome last year’s deficit so the impact won’t be felt on this year’s Pride Week of July 7 to13.
He said he hoped the cancellation of the gala has shown members of the GLBT community that it’s up to them to support Pride events and to realize the power they have.
Coverage, who explained her name is a play on cosmetics icon Max Factor, said she is experiencing first hand the positive effects of the gala, despite its cancellation. She said it gave her the opportunity to make a lot of new friends.
“I’ve met a lot of really wonderful people who I would never have had the chance to meet before,” said Coverage.
“It was a chance to all meet one another and to learn to work together. It gave us a glimpse into what this community can do and what it has the potential to do.”
For now, she added, she will hang onto those gold shoes until the next time.