A group of seven people in costumes and accessories, smiling and laughing together. Some wear sunglasses, hats, sequins, and feather boas; one holds a trident. The photo is black and white.

Archives Onstage: Hot Peaches

Hot Peaches was a renowned drag theater company active in New York City from 1972 to the early 2000s. Founded by Jimmy Camicia, the troupe was a trailblazer in the downtown performance scene, and toured in Europe in the late 70s. The troupe was not just performance, but also a community and safe space for queer expression, and often collaborated with other drag performance groups. The work of Hot Peaches was one of the many catalysts for queer revolutionary action and liberation, and was a home for artists and activists such as Marsha P. Johnson. Over the past decades, Jimmy Camicia has archived Hot Peaches’ work in multiple forms, including youtube, an autobiography, and various other forms of media. Explore them below to be prepare for a series of events at NYU in October 2025.

GET INTO IT

Take a look at some footage from various Hot Peaches performers, archived by Jimmy Camicia and other audience members:

Get Thee to the LIbrary

More recommended readings to get you in gear.

Jennifer DeClue, Chapter 3: CARRYING THE KNOWLEDGE /PERFORMING THE ARCHIVE An Afternoon with Marsha P. Johnson. Duke University Press, 2022.

Jen Jack Gieseking, Chapter 2: Belonging in Greenwich Village and Gay Manhattan. NYU Press, 2020.

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Disability Justice/Stonewall’s Legacy, or: Love Mad Trans Black Women When They Are Alive and Dead, Let Their Revolutions Teach Your Resistance All the Time. Michigan State University Press, 2019.

Torsten Graff, Gay Drama / Queer Performance?. Universitätsverlag WINTER Gmbh, 2001.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

NYU Libraries: Guide to the Hot Peaches Records

For more archived materials, visit the NYU Libraries! The Hot Peaches collection contains materials that can’t be found online, such as scripts, more recordings, and the writings of Jimmy Camicia.
“The collection also includes photographs of the cast, performances, backstage, and images from their European tours. Publicity material includes fliers, postcards, posters, and press releases.”