Somewhere between Absolutely Fabulous and a pet talent agency gone completely off the rails sits Glamour Puss, the improvised comedy from Double D (Graceann Dorse and Nannette Deasy). Catch it at AFA Gallery on Thursday, October 8 at 6:00 PM, Friday, October 9 at 9:00 PM, or Saturday, October 10 at 7:00 PM. Expect two very committed talent agents, an audience pulled straight into the chaos, and real live animals sharing the stage. Below, Graceann shares her side of the story.
In your own words, what is your show about?
In my view, this show doesn’t really have a deeper meaning, other than two women having a really good time performing, while raising awareness of animals in need. If you’re a fan of AbFab or Kath & Kim, there’s a good chance you’ll like us.
What sparked this piece?
My partner in Double D, Nannette Deasy, came up with the initial concept for the idea. We both are big animal lovers, and I think Nannette had the idea for a while. When the pandemic paused live shows for a year or two, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to premiere the show virtually, since we could “audition” pets from the comfort of the audience members’ homes. It was a big hit, and we even got a donkey rescue from Arizona to work with us. Of course the donkeys won a contract with Glamour Puss Talent!
What does “Fringe” mean to you as an artist?
Fringe is a mindset that is welcoming, inclusive in all senses of the word, and ready to believe in the artists.
My favorite part of fringe festivals are the audiences. Fringe audiences are usually ready and willing to see something unique, unclassifiable, and a little weird. They’re more open and friendly to performers trying new things, and isn’t that one of the main points of art? To make new things, and sure they might be a little weird, but what progress worth anything has happened when things are totally normal?
What do you want someone to feel — or think about differently — after seeing your show?
We’re evangelists for improv comedy. There’s a certain “stink” to the term sometimes, as if bad improv is somehow worse than bad stand-up, or bad music, or bad movies. I think it’s because improv has a very low barrier to entry; all you need is to show up in a room where other people are improvising. And because of the low barrier to entry, improv is associated with amateurs. I think this is all a good thing. More artmaking should be accessible to more people.
Also, being an amateur means you have courage. It means you’re a beginner, you’re doing something for fun, and you want to share it on stage with an audience. Amazing! And if you keep at it, you get really good. And then you put on fantastic, professional shows that are no longer amateur. I want people to know that there are professional improvisors out there who put on great shows, and it’s only because they started out as amateurs who stuck with it.
What’s been the hardest or most surprising part of making this?
The marketing and PR is the hardest thing, to be honest. Thank you for this blog post! You are helping me do something that I dislike, and I’m not good at, and that I don’t really have the time to get good at. PR professionals have my utmost gratitude and respect.
Anything else you want people to know before they walk in?
If you like animals and weird comedy and to be taken on a creative ride that even we’re not sure where it’s headed, you should definitely see GLAMOUR PUSS. And if you’re really interested in all of the above, we’re going to have a talkback / Q&A session after the show on Thursday, October 8.
Also you should know that live animals will be in attendance! Just one or two, probably cats. Take your Zyrtec if you’re allergic. They’ll be on leashes.
Catch Glamour Puss at AFA Gallery on Thursday, October 8 at 6:00 PM, Friday, October 9 at 9:00 PM, or Saturday, October 10 at 7:00 PM, as part of the 2026 Scranton Fringe Festival. Buy tickets here. Our thanks to Graceann for sharing her side of the story.
