Trans artist shares personal journey with one-man show

Arts & Culture — August 4, 2026 at 7:50 PM
From Yellowknife

By Dali Carmichael

Fresh off a sold-out show in Vancouver, Australian transgender performance artist Sunny Drake will bring his unique one-man show to this year’s NWT Pride festival to share stories of romance, heartbreak and personal growth as a trans person.

The Toronto habitant is set to entertain and inform crowds at the Top Knight in Yellowknife the evening of Aug. 8 with a performance of his multimedia show, Transgender Seeking… He will also conduct a workshop on Aug. 10, examining modern trans issues through a discussion he calls the Trans* Political Moment.

“I feel really strongly about bringing an array of stories to places that might not always get access to the same kind of things that some cities get access to,” said Drake, who sees his performances and workshops as tools communities can use to spread awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ+) issues. “There’s not a lot of professional trans and queer performances touring, period, so it’s a very different way to engage people in important topics.”

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SSi Micro on board as our “Solidarity Sponsor” for NWT Pride 2014

We couldn’t be happier to announce SSi Micro’s involvement with NWT Pride. Thanks to SSi Micro, we’ll be able to ensure that the NWT gets to hear amazing bands, listen to incredible voices, and dance the night away.

We’re so glad that SSi Micro decided to come on board with us!

PRESS RELEASE - NWT Pride “In Solidarity” August 8th-10th 2014 in Yellowknife

July 7th 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Yellowknife/Somba’Ke – NWT Pride is thrilled to announce “In Solidarity”, the third annual NWT Pride festival.

August 8-10, 2014, NWT Pride will host 3 days of workshops, games, events, and live music!

This year’s theme is about standing in solidarity with LGBTQ*+ people every day. Yellowknife has shown its support of the LGBTQ*+ community during NWT Pride festivals and during awareness campaigns (ie Sochi 2014 Olympics). But supporting the unique ways we express love, gender, and our relationships is something that can be done every day, in many ways.

This year’s festival aims to inspire harmony and solidarity.

We’re proud to announce some of our headlining acts this season:

PRIDE FRIDAY AUG 8:

Join us for cake at the post office at lunch then come down to Somba K’e Park for our kickoff party! There’ll be eating contests, children’s reading circle, and more!

6:00 pm: A Dinner & Theatre night at the Top Knight. “Transgender Seeking…” by Sunny Drake (Toronto) is “a tender and hilarious confession of a queer romance-a-holic.”

This performance is made possible in part by a grant from the Ontario Arts Council’s National and International Touring program.

Tickets are on sale for a donation (suggested $5) at www.nwtpride.com/tickets. 

9:00 pm: NWT Pride Presents Queerlesque! A queer burlesque cabaret night with a 100% northern cast! 21 people of all genders and an array of sexual identities from none-of-ya-business to super-mega-queerdo will seduce you, entice you, and leave you wanting more.

Top Knight / 19+ / pay what you can at the door

PRIDE SATURDAY AUG 9:

All events at the Folk on the Rocks Beer Garden – All ages / FREE

With improvements to our family and children programming – like arts & crafts, dance workshop, and facepainting – get ready to enjoy the entire weekend at our site on Long Lake!

4:00pm: A workshop by Kelly Cumming - From Klippert to Today: Learning about George Everett Klippert, an NWTer and the last person in Canada to be charged for being homosexual.

10:00 pm: DJ Cozmic Cat an internationally acclaimed queer DJ/Producer from Toronto. Has performed with Quest Love, Jazzy Jeff, De La Soul, and Switch.

11:00pm: Cazwell a ridiculously fun mix of electrified dance music and old school hip hop—is the perfect example of the new spirit of pop. Bridging the gap between avant garde club culture and the cutting edge of mainstream music, Cazwell is one of today’s most unique and charismatic performers, who describes his own style as, “if Biggie Smalls ate Donna Summer for breakfast.’”

PRIDE SUNDAY AUG 10:

All events at the Folk on the Rocks Beer Garden - FREE

4:00pm: A workshop by June Scudeler (University of British Columbia) Two-Spirit and Decolonizing Art.

10:00 pm: DJ Betti Forde is one of Canada’s most popular lady DJs. She has opened for Diplo, Chromeo, Felix da Housecat, Cyndi Lauper, and more. She is one-third of the critically acclaimed electro/hiphop outfit StinkMitt, has performed with Peaches and licensed tracks to the L-Word. By day she is a York University Women’s Studies PhD student.

11:00pm: illScarlett – If Sublime and No Doubt had an illegitimate lovechild, it would be named illScarlett. With fist pumping punk/pop/reggae jams, these guys will be your new favourite summer band and with due cause.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Iman Kassam – Arts Coordinator – nwtpridearts @ gmail.com

Jacq Brasseur – Outreach Coordinator – nwtprideoutreach @ gmail.com

Press Release - NWT PRIDE 2014 FESTIVAL LOOKING FOR COMMITTEE MEMBERS

January 22nd 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

YELLOWKNIFE, NT – NWT Pride is a local LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Two-Spirit, queer and allies) organization that devotes our time to organizing an annual pride festival in support of the LGBTQ+ and allied community of the Northwest Territories.

We are currently in our third year of organizing and we are looking for some new people to come on board with us on our committee. Currently, all of our committee members volunteer their time and are rewarded with fun, chances to attend conferences or events and learning new skills!

We are looking for a Food and Beverage Coordinator who takes care of our food and beverage sponsorship and organization. This person is in charge of the “Pride Garden”, the area of our festival where alcohol is sold.

We are looking for a Promotions Coordinator who takes care of our grassroots promotion. This person is in charge of creating a street-team and coming up with unique ways to promote our festival and events.

We are looking for a Youth Coordinator who will work closely with our Outreach Coordinator to create events and activities that will appeal to children and teenagers. This person is in charge of helping to create a family-friendly festival.

If none of these fit for you, but you would still like to be a major part of our festival, please send us your ideas!

If you are interested in learning more about NWT Pride or our committee, please contact Director Iman Kassam at [email protected].

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