Eugene Dela Cruz/One Seven Agency
Rows of cars make up the audience at a recent Dreamland Drive-In show.
Wednesday, July 1, 2020 | 2 a.m.
Jennifer Romas stars in "Sexxy."
Like many of her colleagues in Las Vegas, Jennifer Romas has been trying to find a way to go back to work and get her business back on track. She’s the producer and choreographer and a performer in the Westgate Las Vegas resident female revue “Sexxy: The Show,” which hasn’t hit the stage since March.
Dealing with the temporary closure of live entertainment and shows like hers has been one of the greatest challenges of her career and life, Romas said.
“This has been a very difficult time for everyone, not just as performers and not just financially. Emotionally, mentally and physically, things have changed drastically and trying to adapt everything around that … I kind of lost my spirit throughout this whole thing,” she said. “Trying to figure out how to move through that was difficult.”
While plenty of shows and entertainers have turned to virtual performances and livestreaming options, Romas had a different idea. When the West Wind Drive-In movie theater in North Las Vegas announced its first reopening in April, she started making calls, hoping to figure out a way to put on an outdoor show in a safe environment.
As her hunt for an appropriate venue continued, something magical happened. FreshWata Studios, a local production company with a global reputation for planning innovative events and experiences, teamed with some ambitious Vegas entertainers and producers to launch a series of Drive-In Drag shows to benefit Golden Rainbow, a prominent Southern Nevada nonprofit providing assistance to people living with HIV and AIDS.
A portion of FreshWata’s expansive headquarters near Spring Valley was quickly renovated with an outdoor stage and the Dreamland Drive-In was born.
“There were four shows that first weekend and they did really well. A lot of people came out and supported and were interested and excited,” said Melissa “Dot” Desrameaux, venue manager. “When you’re performing, usually you’re able to see faces and hear them clap and cheer, and these performers were able to get those responses from honking horns and flashing turn signals or headlights. It was really cool to see all that come together.”
Christopher Kenney as Edie performs during a Drive-In Drag show at Fresh Wata's Dreamland Drive-In.
The drive-in shows continue this week with special presentations of “Sexxy” at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Ticket prices are based on a person-per-vehicle basis: $90 for two people, $120 for four or $160 for five. Guests must be 18 or over and social distancing rules and regulations will be strictly enforced. A virtual livestream is available for $29.95 and more information can be found at dreamlanddrivein.com.
Like the other drag and comedy shows that have been presented at the makeshift entertainment venue, the “Sexxy” presentations will benefit a group of charity organizations — Golden Rainbow, national group the Actors Fund (which assists those who work in the performing arts) and Pawtastic Friends, a local group providing training, medical care and supplies to homeless dogs.
For Romas and her cast and crew, the Dreamland Drive-In comes with new challenges but, most importantly, an opportunity to return to live performance.
“It feels like we’re getting our souls back,” she said. “The elements are completely different from the showroom at Westgate and it’s outside, but we’ve mimicked our stage as closely as possible so it will be familiar for the girls. Everyone is doing everything they can to make it as comfortable as possible for us. And we are going to be giving it to you, 11 performers, a full house of ‘Sexxies.’”
The capacity at the Dreamland Drive-In is flexible depending on the show and the size of the vehicles in attendance but typically ranges between 25 and 30 cars. FreshWata can provide livestreaming opportunities to increase exposure and fundraising capabilities, and the company has been providing a “steep discount” for productions in order to make the unique performances pencil out.
“Each production has its own setup and requirements. Compared to the drag shows and the comedy shows, there is more equipment, a larger stage and a lot more work for ‘Sexxy,’” said Desrameaux. “Everybody is in this to do what they love and to help each other. We would like to see this grow and continue and that’s the hope. At FreshWata, we love to bring people together and create really awesome, memorable experiences that continue to live past the event date.”
FreshWata studios has been in the event biz for more than 20 years and has been hosting different events at its current offices since 2017, she said. The company has traditionally focused on event production for Fortune 500 companies, including trade shows, concerts, festivals and conferences in Las Vegas and at various locations around the globe, but Desrameaux said the opportunity to collaborate with the local community is special.
“We doing this for our community, working to create a safe way for us to still come together and enjoy some live performances and entertainment and just have that moment in time where we can just be happy and not necessarily worry about too much going on outside the experience,” she said.
While the Dreamland Drive-In crew is currently in discussions with several other potential productions, the rising summer temperatures could limit future shows.
