Donnarama joins the HallowQueens to amp up the horror and fun of Screemers

by Drew Rowsome

"My fondest memory was winning Queen Of Halloween for the second time at Woody's," says Donnarama. "I was so happy that it paid off. I was in my room like a mad scientist in a laboratory creating a power loader, an Alien queen and a facehugger. Putting on that hideous Sigourney Weaver wig was the hardest part though."

Though Donnarama is notorious for her comic genius and innate glamour, she is also nearly synonymous with Halloween.. So it is no spooky coincidence that she is joining the cast of Screemers' 2016 edition of HallowQueens. "Sofonda actually recommended me, which I really appreciate because I really love Halloween and she knows that," says Donnarama.

Sofonda has seductively slain at each of the Screemers' LGBT nights so far, and she and Donnarama will have creepy competition from Ivory Towers, Scarlet Bobo and Juicebox in two opening numbers and then five sets with two of the queens in each set. "Well unfortunately none of them are scary so I'll have to fill the role," says Donnarama. "I'll just turn around in the dressing room and tuck in front of everyone, sorry girls  They won't notice anyways cause they'll be blinded by their Halloween contact lenses and walking into each other."

Donnarama is looking forward to the Screemers experience. "I have never gone but all my friends have, the stories are hilarious of how much fun the experience is. I'm a bit afraid of the dark," she confesses so she'll be skipping Screemers' terrifying The Darkness maze, "That and unexplained sounds have me pissing in my unitard. So I'd be pretty spooked." Though not as spooked as the average Joe would be in a Donnarama-designed maze of terror. "I would probably use audio terror because I noticed it's the jump scares in theaters accompanied by sound effects that work well. One section would have a series of Mariah Carey albums hanging on fishing wire that comes down on people unexpectedly."

She has her costume and performance idea in the works already but will only offer hints. "Mwahahaha there are a couple of themes I'm working with . . . a cult classic, you'll be hooked! Also, there will be barf and a lot of screaming about Jesus. My dream costume is a hundred-foot tall Stay Puffed Marshmallow man and the runner up, if by chance that one couldn't happen, would be the werewolf from The Howling that Rob Bottin designed. It's fun to take dark looks or themes to the extreme."

The Halloween season is a short one - "I wish the world would extend this holiday for another month," says Donnarama wistfully - and she has work to do to prepare for all her many appearances and performances. But HallowQueens is a special honour, "I met organizer Kenny Wiseman only recently," she says, "and he was rocking an amazing array of Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise. The festivities are in the right hands."

Much more Donnarama and horror at drewrowsome.blogspot.ca