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ABOUT DIVA Founded in 1991, the Drag Industry Variety Awards (the DIVAs) are the most important and valued annual night for Sydney’s drag industry entertainers and performers. It is the community’s night where we recognise, celebrate and reward the collective and individual talents of our hard-working and often unsung entertainers and creative industry artisans. Each year in August, the Sydney winter is set ablaze by DIVA magic, drawing mass attention from Sydney media and television with beautiful and wild fashion, the coolest crowd and the most fabulous red carpet arrivals. DIVA is a not for profit company, run by a volunteer board that work together to put on the awards night. Profits are donated to the AIDS Council of NSW. All DIVA activities reward, recognise and demonstrate the achievements of gay men, lesbians and transgenders in Sydney’s performing arts and popular entertainment. While most awards are presented for quality drag entertainment, several DIVA awards go a step further to recognise community groups and individuals whose work is tireless and often goes unrewarded. The DIVAs attract a large cross-section of the community: partygoers, social and charity groups, entertainers, venues, the fashion industry … and friends. DIVA is also one of only two “black tie” events on the queer calendar, having grown from a club night for 250 people, to a major event for nearly 1,000 guests. In addition to the awards announced on the night, five to six fabulous shows are presented, each specially created for the night. They are a show case of all of the creative elements that make a great show: performance, costume, make up, choreography, sound mix and lighting. Since its inception, each DIVA Board has made sure that the judges are representative of the queer community. Over the years, many prominent people have been invited to judge - ensuring a balance of unbiased industry and community professionals. It is the integrity of the judging committee and their processes that make the DIVA Awards so special and valued by their recipients. The most sought after awards are Entertainer of the Year and Hall of Fame. Bitch of the Year, voted by the public, is also a coveted title! Twenty awards are presented on the night. These are a mix of awards decided by the judging committee, industry and community members who are invited to cast their votes at a designated location on the Saturday before the Awards Night. Oh, and one of the questions we get asked most often is: “Why are the awards held on a Monday night?” The answer is pretty simple: Monday’s are the night when most of our entertainment community are not working and they can go out and party! BEGINNINGS Back in 1989 three friends, David Wilkins, Penny Clifford and Ian Jopson, were chatting and bitching (as you do) at a nightclub one night. The topic was Drag and they wanted to organise something that celebrated Sydney's amazing - and not so amazing - drag queens, their work and the many talents of the people who make up the local gay entertainment industry. Through the 70's and 80’s, an annual awards night called The Caps Awards, named after the legendary gay Oxford Street club, was held. However, by 1989, The Caps Awards had been taken over by a now long defunct local gay mag. David, Penny and Ian wanted to establish a night that was independent of any venue, group, business or organisation. So why another night? To understand this, we need to digress for a moment to consider how the gay and lesbian community in Sydney raises money and how it celebrates. Sydney, one of the great gay and lesbian capitals of the world, is rightly famous for its legendary Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. But as the magic of each Mardi Gras fades, a community has to still continue. There are over 70 community groups in Sydney and they serve almost every imaginable need and cause. Causes such as HIV/AIDS, youth, welfare, sport, social, religion, politics, counselling, immigration, police and wider community education all rely, to varying degrees, on drag queens and those involved in the drag entertainment industry to assist with raising the much needed funds. In many ways, drag queens and industry artists are the forgotten backbone of this town when it comes to raising the all-important bucks for the myriad of community organisations. What was realised back in 1989 was that there was nothing to recognise, and encourage this wonderful, diverse, creative and sometimes scary group of people. Right from the very beginning we realised that, if the awards were to be taken seriously, to be respected and valued, that the entire process would need to be upfront, fair, transparent and impartial. Gaining respect from a sometimes cynical and suspicious group of people would be crucial! After countless planing and advisory meetings, DIVA was born in 1991, delivered healthy, loud and with attitude, at DCM nightclub on Oxford Street, where over 250 people were crammed in on seats around the dance floor. From that first night, DIVA strived to set the highest possible production standards, and to ensure that the judging was, and was seen to be, fair and impartial. DIVA 1991 was a huge hit and before we knew it, there was no turning back The next two years were again held at DCM, each growing in scope and gaining respect. By 1994 the event was moved to the grand ballroom of the plush ANA hotel, where it promptly sold out: dozens of rooms in the hotel above were booked out and limos snaked around the large city block. In 1995 we made a quantum leap, transferring the ceremony to the enormous Hordern Pavilion, the home of the world famous Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Party. Transforming the cavernous hall into a ballroom in mid winter was an enormous logistical and expensive challenge. The gamble paid off and DIVA found a new home for three years, during which the productions became increasingly more lavish and complex. By 1997 the founding friends, David Wilkins, Ian Jopson and Penny Clifford realised that the event was too big for 3 people to organise. A process was started that formalised DIVA, including becoming a not for profit company with voluntary directors, and adopting a constitution that ensures that DIVA stays independent and focused on rewarding and promoting Sydney drag and entertainment community. DIVA also aims to attract new directors, so that its operations remain fresh and vibrant. DIVA has also donated over $58,000 to charity over the years. Of course, we can’t finish off without mentioning the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. The buzz for the Olympic Games was fantastic, and DIVA played a major role in the closing ceremony of the Games. For four months, DIVA worked in strict secrecy, with the organisers to coordinate 52 drag performers, who became the hit of the ceremony, and posed for photos for hours with athletes of the world. The roar of 110,000 people when the performers entered the stadium proved that Sydney loves drag. No Games, previous or since, have ever featured gay men and drag queens in such a way. And as they say, the rest is history! HALL OF FAME The DIVA Hall of Fame is one of the most prestigious awards presented on our annual night of nights. The eligibility for this award is simple, however the contribution of the individual is great: Each individual must have made a significant impact and/or long-term involvement in entertainment. DIVA gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the following people and are proud to list them as our honoured Hall of Fame recipients. 2008 Mitzi MacintoshWINNERS To view the list of DIVA Winners please click here. To download the list of DIVA Winners in Adobe PDF format, please click here. CURRENT DIRECTORS David Willis James Lee Dejay Toberek (Shelley Legs-Diamond) Paul Croft Peter Skillicorn Gregg Steele (Sheila Bliege) Stafford Hamilton Stuart Doherty Wayne Cox ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS Helen Ryan FORMER DIRECTORS Andrew Mercado Andrew Russell Aygun Sana Chris Pinder Colleen Windsor David Wilkins Fabiola Gibson Glenn Horder Ian Jopson Kevin Golding Laurence Stark Paul Dillon Penny Clifford Peter Grogan Ross Higham Shane O’Brien |