Tamale Sepp, 25, has been prominent in the GLBT scene since moving to Chicago from Arizona two years ago. Since then, she has hosted or performed in Gurlesque Burlesque, Dominatrix Waitrix (a benefit for an independent queer fiction film), Chix Mix Events, the Chicago Kings Kingdom Come shows, The Girly-Q-Variety Show and the LCCP Coming Out Against Cancer Ball. What brought her to Chicago was her love of improvisational comedy. Tamale has had internships at Improv Olympic and Second City, and has performed at the Playground Theater, Subterranean and Frankie J’s. She was one of only 10 performers chosen for Chicago Performers Exporting Gender-blending (CPEG), a theater troupe which traveled to Dublin, Ireland, in March 2004 as a queer outreach mission to support developing queer troupes. The show featured burlesque, comedy and drag shows. Tamale considers herself part of a movement that strives to change stereotypes of women often seen onstage. ‘Simply being a comic (especially in improv) is being an activist because there aren’t many female comics,’ she said.
Tamale is most proud of her ability to ‘facilitate camaraderie among friendships and people in the community,’ which was exemplified last summer when she organized a fundraiser at Star Gaze after several of her neighbors lost their homes to a fire.
Tamale advertised and got donations from businesses to make the spoken word/drag/burlesque show at Star Gaze a success, putting all proceeds towards a new apartment and furnishings for her neighbors.