ARKHAM A$$YLUM: An [After Dark] Knight Burlesque is a world-premiere theatrical riot, written and directed by me, Andy Scahill—film professor at University of Colorado Denver, founding member of queer performance collective Rainbow Cult, and proud alum of the underground puppet troupe PuppetQueers.
This is what happens when you give Gotham’s villains the mic, the gavel, and the glitter budget.
It’s drag. It’s burlesque. It’s circus.
It’s a courtroom trial.
And it’s a takedown of the superhero-industrial complex—staged like a pageant, screamed like protest, and strutted in heels.
THE CAST: 100% LOCAL. 200% UNHINGED.
Each rogue delivers their origin story retcon through monologue, spectacle, and striptease—reclaiming narratives that were never written with them in mind:
Harley Quinn (Kezabel – skates) is a gaslit therapist exposing Arkham’s corporate rot like hell on wheels.
Poison Ivy (Char Grey – aerial) is a community-garden radical turned eco-saboteur with silks and receipts.
Catwoman (Miss Monroe – burlesque) claws at Gotham’s elite with class rage and a velvet-gloved middle finger.
Bane (Sir Throbbin Hood – drag) peels off his macho armor to reveal a conversion therapy survivor who also happens to serve in six-inch heels.
Riddler (August Celestial – drag) is a nonbinary, neurodivergent tech ghost who went from building Bat-drones to seeking revenge—poetically.
Joker (Richi Ramos – vocalist) orchestrates the trial with camp, chaos, and a livestream trending #DragTheBat.
And then there are the villains of our show:
Batman (Bill D’Bare – burlesque) is a crypto-fueled, BatCoin-hawking tech bro whose idea of justice is privatized, monetized, and fully merchandised.
Commissioner Gordon (Andy Might – puppetry) is a puppet ruler in a stained diaper and a sagging MAGA sash—wheeled into Arkham for one last tantrum.
The audience becomes part of the trial. Batman gets gagged. Gordon gets locked up. The villains walk free.
The finale? A toxic masculinity striptease set to Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero,” followed by a mic-drop verdict and a projection of the Arkham walls crumbling into a queer, collective future.
FULL-SCALE SPECTACLE
We’re staging the show at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Academy, with full aerial rigging, projection design, custom choreography, original lip-syncs, and live vocals.
It’s drag as resistance. Burlesque as testimony. And a circus with intent.
DETAILS & TICKETS:
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Academy (119 Park Ave W, Denver)
June 5 – 8PM | June 6 – 9:30PM | June 7 – 5PM
Tickets via DenverFringe.org | Pre-sale begins May 1
Press comps, script excerpts, and interview requests available