Hot Peaches

Hot Peaches was a theater company working mostly in drag in New York City during the 1970s to the early 2000s. The company was founded by Jimmy Camicia in 1972, who befriended a group of drag queens in New York and was inspired to write shows for them to perform. Self-defined as as gay theater group, the Hot Peaches created shows that expressed the gay experience with a campy and political twist. Early shows were known for the castmembers' costumes, which often included vibrant, sparkling glam outfits with liberal use of platform boots, glitter, and feather boas. Camicia almost exclusively wrote the scripts, and the shows were put on three to five times per year at a variety of small theaters in Manhattan including Peach Pitts, Theater for the New City, La Mama, and Theater Genesis. The group would also occasionally do European tours, performing in England, Amsterdam, Scotland, Italy, and Germany, often providing their audiences with an experience that was not necessarily available for the gay communities in these countries. Notable cast members include the activist and performer Marsha P. Johnson, Sister Tooey, Wilhelmina Ross, Ian McKay, and Split Britches founder Peggy Shaw.