#bailey johnson

A promotional photo with Marco Venturini as Macavity and Russell Dickson as Munkustrap.

Grace Chan covered Rumpleteazer on Saturday.

A comparison from Marco Venturini of his Admetus makeup from opening in October 2024 form the previous International Tour and present day.

Marco, and his improved makeup, await you in the newly announced shows in northern Italy.

The Kitties got some merchandise, with Emily Layden-Fritz as Cassandra, Hazel Baldwin as Jennyanydots, and Jessie-Jae Davis as Tantomile showing off the wares.

Liam Dean covered Munkustrap for the afternoon show and Alonzo for the evening show on Saturday.

Many backstage photos from Samuel Bateson of his time in Linz.

With Lauren Bronwyn-Wood as Rumpleteazer, Shem Omari James as Rum Tum Tugger, Gabrielle Parker covering Victoria, Bailey Johnson as Coricopat, Emily Layden-Fritz as Cassandra, Gavin Eden as Skimbleshanks, Marcus May as Mungojerrie, and Jamie Armour covering Bill Bailey.

Onwards to Cologne!

The T.C. Gemini's Baily Johnson speaks out against USA Rugby's recent announcement of plans to align with Trump's transphobic "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order from 2025.

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As ‘Heated Rivalry’ takes off, the NHL faces questions about inclusion

This is an excellent article by Bailey Johnson, the beat reporter for the Washington Capitals, (gift WaPo link, so it should be accessible, but if not, here's another link) reiterating that while individual player support for Pride Nights and the LGBTQ+ community exists, the NHL has a lot of work left. (Not new news, of course, but worth continuing to hit the drum on it.)

Excerpt: For a few months in 2023, the NHL enacted a ban on Pride tape that would have prevented Duhaime — and the large handful of other Capitals who used it on their sticks in warm-ups during Pride Night — from making the gesture. The ban occurred alongside the NHL’s decision to eliminate specialty jerseys for warm-ups, like the Pride-themed ones teams typically wore, then auctioned off, in a show of support during their Pride game. Eventually, the NHL reversed course on speciality stick tape, but jerseys remain off-limits.

After several high-profile incidents in which players refused to wear the Pride jersey, the NHL decided in June 2023 to ban all speciality jerseys. Bettman has since insisted that the ban wasn’t specifically targeting Pride jerseys, since it swept across all causes, including jerseys for military night, Hockey Fights Cancer and any other cause a team wanted to support.

“That whole issue seems to be mistaken,” Bettman said recently in Washington. “It wasn’t about Pride jerseys or Pride tape. It was about the fact of bringing things into the game that might not be embraced by the players wearing the jersey.”

For many fans, the decision was felt deeply and painfully as they grappled with their role inside the game.

“Obviously it’s not just the Pride jerseys. But I would like to see them come back just because it does mean a lot to people like me to see the players that I love to watch and feel welcome in that space,” Nentwig said. “And when [Bettman] took away those jerseys, it kind of made me take a step back and really think to myself, like, ‘What am I supporting?’”

Seeing Duhaime and several of his teammates, including forwards Dylan Strome, Nic Dowd, Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre, defensemen John Carlson and Trevor van Riemsdyk and goaltender Logan Thompson, use the Pride tape in warm-ups meant far more to Nentwig, Clennon and others than just a simple strip of tape.

“It’s really nice to see so many people using Pride tape,” Clennonsaid, “and really acknowledging that. Especially seeing Dylan Strome just being, like, so open and inviting and kind of interacting with fans like that is really cool.”

For Tercero, seeing former Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby march in the D.C. Pride parade in 2016 was deeply important.

“There was a while there where I was like, I love this sport, but I can’t get too into it because I’m queer and it’s going to be a whole big thing,” Tercero said. “... I can’t express how much Braden Holtby has done for the D.C. queer community and developing hockey and queerness together. He’s, like, the biggest ally, I think, I could ever know.”

Pride was a riot, pride was a riot led by trans women, to which we owe all of the progress so far. There’s still so much to do for our community, but we don’t give up!

-Bailey Johnson

Into the oven for everyone, after they held their final bow (for now, at least).

The last tumble from Jared Irving as Bill Bailey.

The Swings get their deserved bows.

One last bow for Isabel Moore as Victoria.

The Tribe backstage, with Chrissie Cartwright and alumni Benjamin McMillan.

The last Gumbie Tap for Hazel Baldwin as Jennyanydots.

Hazel also gets a photo with Sam Brown as Munkustrap and Olivia Barnett-Legh as Bombalurina.

Lauren Bronwyn-Wood as Rumpleteazer captures herself, along with Jessie-Jae Davis as Tantomile and Lucy May Barker as Grizabella.

Jessie-Jae Davis as Tantomile at her station.

Bailey Johnson as Coricopat gets celestial.

Gabrielle Parker as Jemima celebrates another closing night.

Emily Layden-Fritz gets ready for her last Cassandra.

Time for some rest, much like Jack Danson as Rum Tum Tugger.

Happy Trails to everyone!