BIOGRAPHIES:
HOST
Peppermint rose to fame as the first runner-up on Season 9 of “Rupaul’s Drag Race” and soon after became the first trans woman to originate a principal role on Broadway when she was cast as Pythio in the groundbreaking Broadway musical Head Over Heels. For over a decade, she has performed in the New York club scene and is best known for her live vocal performances of pop standards as well as original material. Peppermint is deeply involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS and is a participant in the M.A.C. Aids Fund and the HIV Vaccine trials network.
SPECIAL GUESTS
John Cameron Mitchell is a Tony Award-winning American writer, director, performer and songwriter. He directed, starred in and wrote, with Stephen Trask, the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch and its subsequent film adaptation. His other films include Shortbus (2006), Rabbit Hole (2010) and How To Talk To Girls At Parties (2017).
Frankie DeMarco grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and studied classical piano into his late teens. While learning Italian in Florence, Italy, he had an opportunity to work on a TV commercial there and he was immediately drawn to filmmaking. DeMarco now works in features, TV shows, commercials, documentaries, industrials, webisodes, art films and music videos. His film credits include Rabbit Hole (2010), Margin Call (2011), All is Lost (2013), How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2017), Five Feet Apart (2019) and Halle Berry’s directorial debut Bruised (2021).
Andrew Marcus is a film editor whose career has spanned over three decades. Marcus’ film credits include Howard’s End (1992), American Psycho (2000), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), Sing Street (2016), and Isn’t It Romantic (2019).
Costume designer Arianne Phillips is one of the most unique creative forces in the fashion and entertainment industries. As a multi-dimensional visual artist, she brings her exemplary vision to film, fashion, theater, opera, music, and media. She has received Oscar nominations for her work on Walk the Line (2005) , W.E. (2011), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) as well as a Tony nomination for the Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Mike Potter is a hair and make-up artist who works in editorial, advertising, celebrity, and motion picture make-up. He is also a painter. Collaborating with John Cameron Mitchell, Potter created Hedwig’s iconic wigs and make-up for the musical and film adaptation of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Potter’s other film credits include Love is Strange (2014), Loitering with Intent (2014), and The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020).
Miriam Shor is an actor and activist, who has starred in Film, Theater and Television. She starred as Yitzhak in the off-Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch and later reprised her role in the film adaptation. Shor recently starred as Diana Trout in the television series “Younger,” as well as Erica Haskard in the final season of FX’s “The Americans.” Her recent film work includes George Clooney’s The Midnight Sky (2020) and the Netflix drama Lost Girls (2020). Her numerous television credits include “Mrs. America,” “Broad City,” “Damages” and “The Good Wife.”
Alex Steyermark has directed the feature films Prey for Rock & Roll (2003), One Last Thing… (2005), Losers Take All (2011), and music documentary The 78 Project (2014), which have been acclaimed at numerous US and International film festivals and are distributed throughout the world. Prior to directing, Steyermark distinguished himself as a film music supervisor and music producer. He is also an adjunct professor in the MFA film program at Columbia University’s School of the Arts, where he is the founder of the ASCAP/Columbia Film Scoring Workshop.
Stephen Trask is a Grammy Award-nominated composer, musician and lyricist who composed the music and lyrics for the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch and its subsequent film adaptation. Trask’s other film credits include The Station Agent (2003), In Good Company (2004), American Dreamz (2006), and Lovelace (2013).