Rockland Palace

"Dearie, it wouldn't take much coaching to make you lisp into the grave."

Directed by Dr. Robert Philipson

Rockland Palace hosted the largest of the drag balls in not only Harlem but New York City during the Roaring Twenties and into the mid-30s. This stylized reimagining of the ball contextualizes snippets of conversation actually heard at the drag and published in the 1933 scandalous gay novel, The Young and Evil.

Director's Statement

"Rockland Palace" is another episode in our Queer Harlem Renaissance Project. With the cynical all-out Republican attacks on trans people, it's vital to show how vibrant and relevant cross-dressers and trans people were to American urban culture 100 years ago. The wit and camp sensibilities of the dialogue from the 1933 novel, The Young and Evil, feel astonishingly contemporary. Although this is a history lesson, it's about a fun group of people at a fun event and should itself be fun.