If you’ve been to fundraisers at the Eagle, you are bound to have seen the inimitable Kitty Carnage (she/her) owning the stage with her fabulous burlesque performances.  Petite and bubbly with a flair for the theatrical, her presence lights up a room on stage and off.  Despite that, she remains down to earth and humble, always generous to the staff and kind to those around her.  

Kitty Carnage is a queer Leather rope slut who never expected to fall in love with burlesque, but once she did, she fell hard.  On a journey to rediscover herself, she first became involved with the art form with the encouragement of her pinup photographer partner.  Initially, she was a panty wrangler, also known as a kitten, picking up the performers’ discarded garments and readying the stage for the next performance. After a few years in that position, she became head kitten, but that was not to last.  

One fateful night, 7 performers fell ill on a night with a live band, and the producer begged her to fill a time slot.  With only 24 hours to prepare, Kitty made her stage debut accompanied by Prince’s song “You’ve Got the Look,” and she was hooked.  Having grown up in a Southern Baptist home with a submissive mindset, she found burlesque to be empowering as it offered a road to reclaiming her sexuality.  

Kitty enjoys the self-expression that, for her, usually starts with a song.  Using the mood of the music, she plans specifically timed-reveals but leaves the rest less planned so it remains fresh with every performance.  She continues to learn from others and encourages anyone interested in getting into burlesque to go to shows, get to know producers, and work as a stage kitten.  “Go in with your eyes open. It’s a lot of hard work and not just glitter and rhinestones,” she says.  Her own source of burlesque inspiration is Vivienne Vermouth. “She’s really creative. Her costuming is amazing and her routines have a wide range. She’s always willing to lend a hand or some advice to newcomers,” she explains.

Missing the days of performing, she reports she particularly misses the costumes, adding with a smile,  “rhinestoning is a zen thing for me to do.”  For those of us who miss seeing her perform, we can hopefully look forward to seeing her post-covid return to the stage at Sue Ellen’s Tuesday Tease and occasionally Glitterbomb.  In the meantime, you can keep up with her on Instagram (kittycarnageburlesque), Facebook (Kitty Carnage), and FetLife (kittygasm).