Celeb wannabes, “his and her” glamour icons, NYC's sweethearts. Move over Hollywood. Introducing ... Star & Stan.
Stan/Stanley is a performance persona which developed from Reed Rushes' early drag performances as the Drag King "Manly Stanley" in London. "Manly Stanley" won Europe's largest drag competition in 2018 and came runner up in 2017. He was described by The Guardian as "Brilliantly subverting extreme masculinity… so macho [he] ate raw steak on stage" Since these early performances Rushes has incorporated their drag practice into their visual art and movement practice. Donned in a suit and a full face of silver, the perfect trophy husband... Stan collaborates with performance artist Kate Williams, a.k.a. Star, as the performance duo Star & Stan.
Video by Laura Carella from Performance Space New York BODY WORK
Star & Stan love Celebrityism. They re-stage and subvert iconic moments from pop culture, British/American politics, fiction and myth to create their own horny, queer stories. Star, the epitome of high femininity, donned in evening gowns and faux-Geisha makeup, is Stan's heart throb, achilles heel, seductress. Stan, an evolution of Rushes’s Drag King persona Manly Stanley, charms Star with his manly might, his money and fine suits. Through high energy duets they “meld passion and aggression,” (The Brooklyn Rail) “lovemaking and conflict” (Paper Magazine) negotiating romance, power, life and death. Star and Stan's shows are a gay mash up of horror, rom-com and thriller.
Kate Williams and Reed Rushes (a.k.a Star & Stan) are interested in questions around the commodification of identity. Their work unpicks the power structures that arise when certain identities and cultures are sold and repackaged as superior, elite and more desirable against the backdrop of individualism and consumerism. Working together through fantasy is a way for Kate and Reed to reinterpret and process the world around them. Using live performance, drag, video and props they build the multifaceted world of Star & Stan.
Star & Stan have performed at raves, on streets and beaches, and at venues such as The Park Avenue Armory, Performance Space New York, Henry Street Settlement, Art Omi, Pageant and Entrance, to name a few.