FAIRLITH HARVEY
dreamer | writer | creator
photo by chelsey stuyt
about
A graduate of New York’s American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Fairlith has been sharing her imagination, directing, writing, and performing professionally for sixteen years. She is passionate about themed entertainment design and immersive art, creating chances for audiences to lose themselves like she needs to find herself lost sometimes.
Described by Link Magazine as the 'Nerd Queen of Burlesque', Fairlith is an award-winning creator and writer. In 2012, she founded Geekenders, for which she wrote and conceived of over 60 original dramatic works, burlesque plays, musical parodies, cheeky variety shows, and immersive productions including her 2019 hit, 'Alice in Glitterland'.
Fairlith's work has been experienced by over 180,000 Canadian audience members and over 10 million YouTube viewers. Her productions have been described as having a 'cult following' in Vancouver (Vancity Buzz). Fairlith mixes glitter, inclusivity, warmth, and irreverent humour to create a dreamy onstage world examining perspectives that have been repressed.
Her newest project, ‘Dreamqueen Collective’, creates dreamy immersive experiences exploring themes of saving yourself as an adult, each created from scratch by a team of enthusiastic collaborators, all of whom bring their own unique footprint to a given project.
Fairlith has created programming for New York’s immersive Times Square dining experience Mars 2112, Barkerville Historic Town, The Railway Museum of British Columbia, Whistler Village, and Disney Cruise Lines. She is the founder of New York City’s ‘Company 1B’ theatrical troupe.
“People like Fairlith Harvey...are taking the ropes and giving opportunities for females to be cast in non-traditional, male-dominated spaces. In doing so, they’re changing the fandom for the better while remaining true to its roots.”
-Cecilia Lu in Living Myth Magazine
some things i've made
ALICE IN GLITTERLAND
What does 'we're all mad here' mean in 2019? The fourth full-scale immersive show I've created (written and directed), but the only one I have video of. In this show, audience members enter and explore a retro cabaret palace inhabited by some familiar characters -- a Red Queen, a White Rabbit, a Hatter. With 94 scenes happening concurrently over 70 minutes, every guest had a different adventure. "The seamlessness and elegance of the 70-minute performance led me to feel that I was in a dream..." - The Capilano Courier http://www.capilanocourier.com/2019/10/06/alice-in-glitterland/
THE LAST RESORT
A three-part indoor promenade performance and experience placing guests in the role of passengers of a doomed pleasure cruise through the Bermuda Triangle in 1971. Guests embark upon an individual immersive journey throughout a tropical resort that just might be purgatory, exploring themes of facing mortality, destiny, and change.
Photo by Chelsey Stuyt Photography
I directed and conceptualized this production, with the aim of showing off the material without encouraging people to think of the film (which I love), and nuancing staging and interpretations to emphasize the importance of consent. I'm immensely proud of this show. "The most fun I've ever had in a Vancouver theatre." - Patrick Kearns
While history’s most infamous killer stalks the streets of Whitechapel, a remarkable trio of women must take matters into their own hands and learn to find, fight, and destroy a murderer. Written when I discovered how few scripts there are for female-led stage combat-centric stories. With the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the World Premiere Tour of Kill the Ripper launched in summer 2022. Kill the Ripper opened in Washington DC at 'We Happy Few', October 2023.
I have weird ideas. I've been so privileged and so lucky and so delighted to be able to bring these visions to life over and over. Check it out!
PORTAL 2: THE (UNAUTHORIZED) MUSICAL
A musical parody of contemporary musical theatre conventions using a popular puzzle game. This show explores the insidiousness of abusive behaviour, how abusive men charm women into trusting them, and how the abused can turn to abuse themselves. This show went viral on Reddit and Tumblr, and has a huge online fan base, which is really fun and overwhelming. I wrote and co-directed this show, and appear as GLaDOS and Caroline.
The eighties were not a particularly socially progressive time, and that's reflected on film. This send-up of all the tropes present in eighties teen movies was conceptualized, directed, and had a book written by me. This is my favourite of all the musical parodies I've created.
An immersive, covid-conscious walkthrough experience examining themes of discovering what adulthood means to you, loving yourself, and self-parenting. Both productions sold out in advance, August and September 2021.
The above portfolio is comprised of some favourites; in my professional career, I have written/directed/produced over 60 original works from small-scale cabarets to enormous immersive events. Please download my CV for an in-depth look!
contact
Questions? Want to license one of my plays? Need some production consulting? Want to learn about the process behind creating an immersive show? Just want to say hi? Do you know where my glasses are!?
Currently based out of Vancouver, Canada.
Dramaturgical fees start at $30.00/hr.
Consultancy fees start at $40.00/hr.