All photos courtesy of Nick Romano
This past Tuesday at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City, a mix of nerds and curious spectators came to witness the culmination of video games and hot chicks in a production titled Played by Geek Girl Burlesque.
Mistress U Betcha, clad in a bosom-squeezing dominatrix outfit, hosted the show while the audience sat back cheering on as their come-to-life gaming heroines stripped off their clothes. “How it got started was actually on a dare,” producer Chris Lee told Gamma Squad. “About two-and-a-half years ago I was at an amateur night…and I got dared to perform. So, I started performing and performing led to meeting more performers and then I realized I wanted to start my own troupe.”
Now, Geek Girl Productions has a consistent slot at the Bowery Poetry Club every second Tuesday of the month. Next month’s show will have a back-to-school theme, which I can only imagine to mean sexy school-girl outfits. How is it possible to score with such sexy geek girls such as them, you might ask? To find out, I sat down with the girls to talk about what turns them on and what geek guys can do to better their chances.
Stage Name: Mistress U Betcha
Character: Host
A prominent performer and host, Mistress U Betcha is a sexy Minnesotan dominatrix. She kept the crowd laughing all through the night with her comedic styling and unique renditions of Metallica. But what’s great about U Betcha (and the rest of the performers) is her natural geekiness. “I’m more like old-school geek,” she said. “I know more obscure, ridiculous information about science or politics or world history that any idiot should not know.”
Dating Tip: “Follow through on a f***ing date. If you ask a girl out on OKCupid.com or Match.com, don’t be negative. If you ask a girl out, follow f***ing through on that date.”
Stage Name: Lily Stitches
Characters: A girl at the video game store turning into Yuna from Final Fantasy, Harley Quinn from Batman: Arkham Asylum
“If I see a cosplayer who’s my favorite character, I tend to freakout,” said Lily Stitches about her geekiest moments. This was also the case of the attendees during her performances who all clapped when they realized which video-game vixens she portrayed. The one character she would have liked to add, however, is an oldy but a goody: Mystique. “I would totally be a shapeshifter,” she confessed, “Mystique is awesome.”
Dating Tip: “Talk to us. Speak! Don’t do the hover hand, don’t stare with your mouth open…it’s ok, we don’t bite.”
Stage Name: Murder Nurse
Characters: Catherine from Catherine, Mitsuru from Persona 3
I met the bubbly Murder Nurse before the performance after she had just slipped into her Catherine costume. She had this innocent, Goldilocks quality to her, which she shattered on stage after rubbing a little lamb stuffed animal all over her chest. According to her, she’s more like Black Cat than Goldilocks. “My burlesque persona is kind of promiscuous,” she giggled.
Dating Tip: “Be honest. I love when people don’t hide, like guys who are into comics. That’s a turn on for me.”
Stage Name: Moxie Cat
Characters: Little Sister from Bioshock, a military zombie inspired by Call of Duty
“I am a superhero,” said Moxie Cat, who also goes by the name of Silk Specter III. “I have a hydrogen tattoo on my ankle because I despise my mother for picking Night Owl II.” Whether or not this appeals to you, her performances definitely will. Cat got into geeky burlesque about a year ago and it’s her combination of geek and sex appeal that makes her such a knockout.
Dating Tip: “Definitely don’t approach them based on their looks. Bring up common interests. It definitely has wooed me…I remember when I walked into [my boyfriend’s] room and I saw a Chewbacca action figure above his bed and Ocarina of Time in the game system and the complete VHS of Twin Peaks.”
Stage Name: Little Miss Rollerhoops
Characters: Casey Lynch from Guitar Hero, Alice from American McGee’s Alice
If Little Miss Rollerhoops could have any super power in the world, she’d have to split it between telepathy, shape shifting and teleportation. “I’ve always wanted to be able to read minds, though be able to control when I did or didn’t,” she said. But in real life, she has extraordinary abilities when it comes to fire. Most of her performances actually deal with twirling open flames around herself in the form of blazing hula-hoops and batons. She’s been developing these skills since watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show five years ago, which gave her the confidence to try burlesque.
Dating Tip: “Don’t think you can’t get the girl. Dont be shy or too scared to say something to us…I’ve had guys who I found out a while later wanted to ask me out…and never did because they were too nervous or scared they’d immediately get shot down. When in reality, I’ve only ever really dated geeky/nerdy guys.”
Stage Name: Holly Ween
Characters: Lulu from Final Fantasy X, Ultros from Final Fantasy VI, the Succubus from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
No stranger to cosplay or burlesque, Holly Ween developed her stage name through her commitment to slightly ghastly and devilish performances as seen through her characters of Lulu and the Succubus. “I saw ‘Lost Boys’ when I was nine and ever since then I wanted to be a vampire, not because they were badass but because they could fly,” she said. She has over 11 years of cosplay experience under her belt, which has given her plenty of time to perfect her persona.
Dating Tip: “Be friendly and assertive. Most geek girls are kind of oblivious just like geek guys. So, we don’t always realize that you’re hitting on us and then it’s too late.”