Meg Birnbaum photography

Michael is Sister KrisTall Mighty, Abbess and co-founder of the Boston Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, who are a modern order of queer Nuns, comprised of people of all gender associations, all spiritual affiliations, and all proclivities to do good works. The five aspects of their practice include Service, Education, Activism, Entertainment, and Ministry.

www.thebostonsisters.org

Donna as Alexanderia the Great, escape artist extraordinaire and queen of extreme. Donna is a wife, mother and health club manager.

www.alexanderiathegreat.com

Charlotte Dore is an actress, singer, writer, puppeteer, director and seamstress. She co-founded a singing/theatrical group called Stiletto Singers.

www.charlottedore.com/

Jim Cook makes the past live again in four solo performances. He embodies Calvin Coolidge, Daniel Webster, Edward Everett and, as seen here, John Quincy Adams.

www.crankyyankees.net

Civitron is a father, artist and costumed activist. He’s the leader of the Heroic 100, a band of adventurers united for truth and a better tomorrow! The team works on projects to help the homeless, clean the environment and battle injustice. In addition to hosting weekly missions, Civitron, along with his superhero son, Mad Owl works with other organizations like Project Bread, Habitat for Humanity, Operation Cleansweep and the American Red Cross. He’s traveled the country, helping out with hunger and aid projects. Civitron says his son is a constant inspiration for the work he does and often assists him on missions. With the help of his family and friends, Civitron is on a mission of self-discovery, hoping to help some people along the way.

http://twitter.com/civitron
www.myspace.com/civitron

Johnny Blazes is a gender-blending, tongue-in-cheek performance artist who has created many different personalities incorporating drag, burlesque, dance, singing and circus arts.

"When a gay man has WAY too much fashion sense for one gender, he is a drag queen." -Noxeema Jackson, To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar

Drag isn't a disguise for me, or an escape, or even an expression of my "true self." I simply have too many genders within me to pick only one. Sometimes I'm a dandy, sometimes a scruffy kid, a diva, a pinup, or just a boy in a dress.

http://johnnyblazes.com

Edrie is the accordionist for the SteamCrunk band Walter Sickert & the ARmy of BRoken TOys. She is a published writer and a farmer at heart.

My band formed from the turmoil and loss that came after Walter's and my spouses took a road trip together and never returned. The terrible incident drew us to make music together as a positive way to get through the anger and pain that the betrayal had caused. We continue to gather other Broken Toys around us for healing through beautiful music.

www.armyoftoys.com/

Dr. Jeffrey L. Forgeng is the Paul S. Morgan Curator at Higgins Armory Museum, as well as Adjunct Associate Professor of History, Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Jill Gibson and Karin Webb are married performers who write original comedy with a point of view. They are also creators and producers of Axe To Ice Productions and Bent Wit Cabaret. Jill and Karin are two parts of 'All the King's Men' a drag and cabaret inspired theater troupe. They are featured in the documentary 'Play in the Gray' by Kaitlin Meelia which portrays the work, art and emotional lives of the members of ATKM.

Melissa performs as Zehara Nachash. Zehara is a belly dance, snake charmer, fire-dancer and side show performer.
“It took a lot for me to accept the fact that what I do as a belly dancer isn’t the norm. I am very non-traditional when it comes to the art of belly dance. After a few years, I realized its okay to walk off the beaten path and realize when it comes to dance-there is no box. Besides being a snake charming-fire eating belly dancer has incredibly ups and very little lows!"

www.zehara.com

Jan Turnquist is an educator, actress, and historian. She is also the founder and director of InterAct Performances, an organization devoted to living history presentations and seminars. Now a consultant to Orchard House Museum, where Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women in 1868, Jan spent 18 years on staff as Living History Coordinator, Education Coordinator, and Historic Interpreter.

www.janturnquist.com

Richard and Cindy Karp are members of the New England Six Shooters. The Six Shooters are a family club which belongs to the larger Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association or CMSA. The Six Shooters promote cowboy heritage through competition, costume and camraderie. Riders shoot balloons from horseback which tests speed, accuracy and control using specially made .45 caliber blanks.

Heywood Wakefield is the creation of Aliza Shapiro, a Boston based events producer and founder of Truth Serum Productions.
Aliza has been performing drag King Heywood Wakefield since 2000. Heywood mines the schlocky music oeuvres of Engelbert Humperdinck, Neil Sedaka, Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, Dean Martin and many others from the 60's and 70's. He's the guy you are embarrassed to watch but end up cheering for anyway.

John Stephen Hatch is a master science fiction/fantasy costumer and a lifelong science fiction fan. His nickname is 'Yeti' and to bring his namesake to life, his costume was created and made by Janet Johnston and Carol Botteron. He is an award winning photographer and poet, specializing in nature and costume period photography. He has traveled extensively in Ireland and the UK, visiting, studying, and photographing neolithic sites such as stone circles and burial chambers. He is interested in Celtic pre-Christian nature and fertility religions and their survival into modern times. He is also an avid amateur astronomer, and his 30 years experience working with optics led him to work recently for the new James Webb Space Telescope.

Ethan Gilsdorf is a freelance correspondent, guidebook writer, and film, book and restaurant reviewer and author of Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms.

www.ethangilsdorf.com

Samara is a graduate student in theatre education who performs as a living statue and tribal fusion bellydancer. She is also an avid LARPer.

Sasha makes his own costumes and is a tribal belly dancer and high school student.

Amber P. is a Burlesque Performer pursuing her Masters in Expressive Therapy. She developed the Burlesque for Better Body Image workshop for women to help them feel more comfortable in their bodies and release their inner siren.

www.honeysuckleduvet.com

Darlene is a living historian, 18th century reenactor, Count Rumford Museum guide, dancer, singer and musician.

Jim and Kellie Fiers are parents and civil war reenactors.