OPEN TV TONIGHT: QUEERING LATE NIGHT TV

I created Open TV Tonight to queer the late night talk show. Late night ranks among the least diverse hours of TV, even though late night programming tends to be the "edgiest" in TV history. Instead of promoting the latest macho blockbuster to be sold internationally I wanted to use the format of the talk show to showcase Chicago's queer artists. Instead of Jimmy Fallon, you got me, a black queer academic who could never book our president as a guest. Instead of a live band, we had Hijo Pródijo, who has DJ'ed some of the dopest queer events in the city. Having a spot on a free night at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago helped us attract our biggest audience at the time, around 200 people -- though we would soon outdo that with the premieres of the shows we previewed, Brujos, Brown Girls, and Afternoon Snatch. The event was a roaring success. So many people came up to me afterward to tell me how invigorating it was to be in a space that artistically represented the least powerful but most brilliant artists and communities 10 days after the inauguration. 
 

In this video you'll see interviews with the teams behind Open TV (beta)'s most ambitious series to date. These shows have already developed large passionate fan bases and I guarantee you will see more of these artists in the future! Check it out:

Artists // Kayla Ginsburg, Ruby Western, Hannah Welever, Minita Gandhi, Ricardo Gamboa, Reshmi Hazra Rustebakke
Videography // Bradley Murray
Executive Producer // Aymar Jean Christian
Producer & Set Designer // Elijah McKinnon
Assistant Producer // Chris Walker
Assistant Editor // Sean Magner
Production Assistant // Carolina Poveda
Furnishing // Humboldt House

Outfit for Aymar Jean Christian by Reformed School, Ssavior, CRAM Fashion
Filmed January 31, 2017 in the Edlis Neeson Theater, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago