Workshop dates (sold out): Aug. 23 & Aug. 30 — Intrepid Theatre Studio. Produced by Drag Sunday Productions.
Aaron Nickol’s Space Queen is being workshopped at Victoria’s Fringe Festival as part of Intrepid Theatre Society’s Indigenous Artist Program. It carries the tone of the movie Logan’s Run, imagining a future where queer existence is outlawed and underground resistance gains strength. For those forced to hide who they are, even finding a job becomes a quiet act of rebellion.
Nickol builds his world through spoken word and projected video of the computer system that shapes daily life. The current workshop feels partial—there are no costume changes to distinguish characters, and the lack of visual shifts leaves some moments flat—yet it establishes a strong foundation. This show probes queer survival and the radical power of claiming space. The Indigenous themes resonate alongside short films and graphic novels exploring how these cultures historically embraced alternate gender roles, including two-spirit identities.
Although drag embodies duality, without costume shifts or clearer separation from the personas Nickol is playing, some transitions don’t always register. That shortfall is forgivable in this workshop; with funding for costumes and pauses that allow the world to breathe, the staging should feel fuller. Another thread touches on environmentalism, but that message didn’t land for me—it felt less urgent than the show’s central exploration of queer survival. Audience reactions were attentive but quiet; those moments felt sprinkled in rather than fully integrated.
Even as a work-in-progress, Space Queen brims with promise. Nickol has developed rich politics and lore—much of it available on his Patreon—so followers arrive with extra context while newcomers may feel slightly unmoored. On the page, the pacing sometimes stumbles, but in performance the music smooths transitions and provides momentum.
His live singing can sound tentative, but it’s really the pre-recorded falsetto-driven demos that are more assured, placing his drag persona at the story’s centre. Composer Jarrett Jacklin’s synth-driven score and Daniel Hatenboer’s demo vocals lean into cosmic rhythms that recall Jefferson Starship. At times, the mood even echoes the surreal aesthetics of early music videos, though the work remains rooted in resilience and ancestral memory.
What Fringe audiences see this year is only the beginning. This production will expand into a fully produced show for Victoria’s Fringe in 2026. This workshop is a one-person sci-fi drag musical—created and performed by Nickol (aka Shelita Cox) and produced by Drag Sunday Productions—but the next iteration may add performers for supporting roles. Given the cabaret-like structure, however, it could remain anchored as a solo tour de force.
The fact that this workshop presentation was sold-out shows the public is clearly interested. With its mix of camp, earnestness, and speculative vision, Space Queen looks poised to become a fully realised performance next year. I’ll return to see how different it will be, and whether this producer will add performers to help distinguish the shifting roles on stage. In what I’ve seen, it’s best to add a few new faces so the audience isn’t left guessing who’s who in the story.