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- [Archive of a Lesbian Lip Sync Theatre Group called The Rubber Husbands]
[Archive of a Lesbian Lip Sync Theatre Group called The Rubber Husbands]
[Archive of a Lesbian Lip Sync Theatre Group called The Rubber Husbands]
An archive of manuscript process material kept by members of a lesbian lip sync theatre group active in Denver, Colorado in the 1980’s calling themselves The Rubber Husbands. The materials contain set lists, costume and prop lists, design drawings, character sketches, snippets of scripts, etc… for performances with explicit dates between 1983-1985 at named Denver venues including Tracks, The Ballpark, Lipps, Flo’s Party Room (possibly in Boulder), Tits, and the Cherry Creek Mining Company. Additional material in one of the notebooks contains drink menu drafts and floor plan drawings for a bar to be located at 2727 West 6th Street which eventually became Divine Madness (voted “Best Lesbian Bar” in Denver Westword magazine in 1987).
Back issues of Denver’s OUT FRONT seem the only source recording the group’s performances with an article from January 6, 1984 providing the most extensive description we’ve been able to locate of a performance (at a Denver bathhouse called the Ballpark for which a handwritten ledger is included here, recording tickets sold, whom to, and for how much):
“RUBBER HUSBANDS PERFORM AT BALLPARK”
The Rubber Husbands, Vickie, Lyn, Bucy, and Florida, treated their audiences to some surprises as they performed on the 10-foot platform at the Ballpark last month. The Rubber Husbands, who bill themselves as a ‘‘Mimi air band," brought sparkling interpretations of songs to life through dancing, costume changes, and “appropriate” props. They did their debut performance at the Ballpark on a Saturday for the men, then followed it up with a special performance for the women the next day at the Ladies Day at the Ballpark. Women are invited to use the facilities several times a year, an event that is co-sponsored by the Ballpark and the Globe International. “The Rubber Husbands were special,” said a Ballpark spokesperson, "They had a little something for everyone." The versatile show included some old favorites as well as a variety of new songs. Connie Francis, the Andrews Sisters, and Kate Smith were accompanied by contemporary artists Bette Midler and the Eurythmics. Show tunes from “South Pacific" and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show” were also featured. The performances were highlighted by several special effects. Lights, fog, and a waterfall were added, compliments of the Ballpark staff. The Rubber Husbands have tentatively scheduled future performances at The Three Sisters for Valentine’s Day and at Tracks for March or April.” (Volume 8, Number 21, pp. 6)
An additional mention in a November 8, 1985 issue of OUT FRONT calls the group “Lip Sinc[sic] theater” and one of the notebooks includes the phrase “Lip Sync Interpretive Theatre” above a set list, providing a seemingly sound definition for the nature of the group’s performances which seem to have been elaborate stage productions, as evidenced by the extensive descriptions of costumes, stage directions, scripts, etc… on themes which included irreverent takes on Valentine’s Day (or V.D. Day), the first Thanksgiving, and more… Back issues of OUT FRONT, hosted by the Colorado Historic Newspapers Archive, produces 25 mentions of the group between 1981 and 1988. A brief mention of a performance at the 1984 Pride rally in Denver notes they “[...] ended their performance by walking into the middle of the amphitheater and inviting the crowd to join them in an energetic dance,” suggesting a strong interactive element.
The present archive on an otherwise largely unheralded performance troop seems saturated in the world Sara Warner explores in ACTS OF GAIETY (2013):
“Acts of gaiety are comical and cunning interventions that make a mockery of discrimination and the experience of social exclusion. These antics provide a creative outlet for the outrage, alienation, and sorrow that attend queer lives in the form of dramatic displays of revelry and rebellion.” (pp.xi)
We have been unable to determine full names of any of those named as troop members, either in the pages of the present archive or those of OUT FRONT, though the material was acquired by us from a suburban St. Louis estate liquidation in the Summer of 2025.
[Theatre] : [Sexuality]. [Archive of a Lesbian Lip Sync Theatre Group called The Rubber Husbands]. Denver, Colorado: (ca. 1983-1985). Small archive of material consisting of two approximately 11” x 8” spiral bound commercial notebooks (one marked 60 sheets ; the other 80) along with about 40 sheets of loose material (entirely manuscript save a partial 4pp. newspaper section). Mild to moderate handling wear throughout contents. No remarkable condition issues, about very good.
An archive of manuscript process material kept by members of a lesbian lip sync theatre group active in Denver, Colorado in the 1980’s calling themselves The Rubber Husbands. The materials contain set lists, costume and prop lists, design drawings, character sketches, snippets of scripts, etc… for performances with explicit dates between 1983-1985 at named Denver venues including Tracks, The Ballpark, Lipps, Flo’s Party Room (possibly in Boulder), Tits, and the Cherry Creek Mining Company. Additional material in one of the notebooks contains drink menu drafts and floor plan drawings for a bar to be located at 2727 West 6th Street which eventually became Divine Madness (voted “Best Lesbian Bar” in Denver Westword magazine in 1987).
Back issues of Denver’s OUT FRONT seem the only source recording the group’s performances with an article from January 6, 1984 providing the most extensive description we’ve been able to locate of a performance (at a Denver bathhouse called the Ballpark for which a handwritten ledger is included here, recording tickets sold, whom to, and for how much):
“RUBBER HUSBANDS PERFORM AT BALLPARK”
The Rubber Husbands, Vickie, Lyn, Bucy, and Florida, treated their audiences to some surprises as they performed on the 10-foot platform at the Ballpark last month. The Rubber Husbands, who bill themselves as a ‘‘Mimi air band," brought sparkling interpretations of songs to life through dancing, costume changes, and “appropriate” props. They did their debut performance at the Ballpark on a Saturday for the men, then followed it up with a special performance for the women the next day at the Ladies Day at the Ballpark. Women are invited to use the facilities several times a year, an event that is co-sponsored by the Ballpark and the Globe International. “The Rubber Husbands were special,” said a Ballpark spokesperson, "They had a little something for everyone." The versatile show included some old favorites as well as a variety of new songs. Connie Francis, the Andrews Sisters, and Kate Smith were accompanied by contemporary artists Bette Midler and the Eurythmics. Show tunes from “South Pacific" and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show” were also featured. The performances were highlighted by several special effects. Lights, fog, and a waterfall were added, compliments of the Ballpark staff. The Rubber Husbands have tentatively scheduled future performances at The Three Sisters for Valentine’s Day and at Tracks for March or April.” (Volume 8, Number 21, pp. 6)
An additional mention in a November 8, 1985 issue of OUT FRONT calls the group “Lip Sinc[sic] theater” and one of the notebooks includes the phrase “Lip Sync Interpretive Theatre” above a set list, providing a seemingly sound definition for the nature of the group’s performances which seem to have been elaborate stage productions, as evidenced by the extensive descriptions of costumes, stage directions, scripts, etc… on themes which included irreverent takes on Valentine’s Day (or V.D. Day), the first Thanksgiving, and more… Back issues of OUT FRONT, hosted by the Colorado Historic Newspapers Archive, produces 25 mentions of the group between 1981 and 1988. A brief mention of a performance at the 1984 Pride rally in Denver notes they “[...] ended their performance by walking into the middle of the amphitheater and inviting the crowd to join them in an energetic dance,” suggesting a strong interactive element.
The present archive on an otherwise largely unheralded performance troop seems saturated in the world Sara Warner explores in ACTS OF GAIETY (2013):
“Acts of gaiety are comical and cunning interventions that make a mockery of discrimination and the experience of social exclusion. These antics provide a creative outlet for the outrage, alienation, and sorrow that attend queer lives in the form of dramatic displays of revelry and rebellion.” (pp.xi)
We have been unable to determine full names of any of those named as troop members, either in the pages of the present archive or those of OUT FRONT, though the material was acquired by us from a suburban St. Louis estate liquidation in the Summer of 2025.
[Theatre] : [Sexuality]. [Archive of a Lesbian Lip Sync Theatre Group called The Rubber Husbands]. Denver, Colorado: (ca. 1983-1985). Small archive of material consisting of two approximately 11” x 8” spiral bound commercial notebooks (one marked 60 sheets ; the other 80) along with about 40 sheets of loose material (entirely manuscript save a partial 4pp. newspaper section). Mild to moderate handling wear throughout contents. No remarkable condition issues, about very good.