The Cultch screens Starwalker ahead of its wide theatrical release, March 18 to 22
The film version of Corey Payette’s Indigenous-empowered drag musical has roots in the York Theatre stage
Starwalker
Starwalker screens at The Cultch’s Vancity Culture Lab from March 18 to 22, followed each night by a Q&A with members of the creative team
AHEAD OF ITS THEATRICAL release, and the premiere of Corey Payette’s latest musical, On Native Land, The Cultch is hosting special screenings of Starwalker.
Urban Ink’s Payette launched Starwalker on The Cultch’s York Theatre stage back in February 2023. The musical, which was years in the making, tells the hyperlocal story of a lost 2-Spirit East Van call boy who is welcomed into the House of Borealis, a popular drag house led by a matriarch. Cue Star’s transformation into an “Anishnaabe princess” who goes on to mix the art of pow-wow with drag performance.
The film version of the rock-powered, dance-filled musical had its world premiere on opening night of the Inside Out Toronto 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival, and debuted here at last year’s Vancouver Queer Film Festival.
It features a cast full of well-known Vancouver stage names, including Dillan Chiblow playing Eddie “Star” Starwalker and Stewart Adam McKensy in the role of Mother Borealis. At the time, we praised its “dazzling numbers and celebration of marginalized communities”.
So, aside from offering the uplifting, empowering messages of finding family and authentic identity, the screenings are a chance to celebrate a homegrown success story that’s going on to big things. 
Related Articles
