“Kappa Force,” fun satire of school rom-coms breaks the mold with parody pop songs and a cast of fabulous queer femme POC, trans and lesbian college superhero sorority sisters seeking “ Sorority Justice for Frat Boy Scum”, led by Madeline Weinstein who starred in Netfilx’s ALEX STRANGELOVE and is leading on Broadway in the Harry Potter Musical.
The LatinX creator, Addison Heimann, birthed this show from depression and into activism…all with humor. :) The show is streaming on Revry TV – “stream. out. loud.”
See the Trailer Here
We have an interview with Addison, the creator of the show:
Queer Sci Fi: Tell me about KAPPA FORCE. How is it different from all the other super hero movies and TV shows out there?
Addison Heimann: Kappa Force is the story of sorority crime fighters trying to destroy evil frat scum. That’s nothing necessarily new or overwhelmingly original, but it does differentiate itself from other superhero shows as it has a lead cast of POC and LGBTQ superheroes. I wanted to create a world in which a lesbian, a black woman, an asian woman, and a transwoman saved the world. We’re starting to see queer representation in superhero movies with such shows like the new Batwoman starring Ruby Rose, but the cannon is overwhelmingly cis, male, and white. I also wanted to make something irreverent. It’s a sendup of college culture and superhero culture with a healthy does of 90s nostalgia.
QSF: What kind of queer representation does the show include?
AH: We feature every member of the LGBTQ spectrum in front of and behind the camera as well. Our crew was 70% female and 50% queer. I’m queer and my director, Hannah Welever, is also queer, and that was an extremely important aspect of production from its inception.
QSF: Is there representation of other historically underrepresented groups?
AH: Yes! The show features a diverse cast and will feature more when we get into further seasons!
QSF: How did you get here – to do this show? What kind of challenges did you face, or triumphs did you achieve on the way?
AH: It was a long process. I wrote it in a deep dark depression during a terrible Winter in Chicago. And back then I was just a lowly playwright and actor. I mean I’m still lowly, but I’ve added some more labels like screenwriter! And producer! Anyway, once I dreamt that, I gave it to the one person I knew who made movies in Chicago, and she passed it along to Hannah, my director, who’s become a life-long collaborator. We’ve got a queer coming of age comedy in the works as well! We did a kickstarter, I ran the social media, and then thankfully secured the funding. I’ll never crowdfund again, but hey, it worked.
AH: Honestly the biggest challenge was shooting a giant frat house in a room with 40 extras, 30 crew members, 17 cast, and one bathroom. At one point, the toilet stopped flushing so my director and I had to constantly refill the the water so people could use the bathroom. Honestly, our biggest triumph is meeting Revry by pure happenstance at a festival. Getting to work with them, and the support they’ve given to help give our little series a voice, has been the best thing that could’ve happened.
QSF: Are you queer yourself?
AH: Hell yes I’m queer! I love telling queer stories, and more importantly, I love telling queer genre stories. I know I’m not the only queer boy out there who grew up on Buffy the Vampire slayer and craves stories in the genre space from a queer perspective. It’s literally all I want to make. 6. Have you always been a sci fi fan?
I have always been a sci-fi fan. My dad wanted me to be a huge sports guy, and I wasn’t, so the only way we could bond was over TV. Specifically Buffy (as I mentioned before), The X-Files, and Star Trek voyager. I’m also obsessed with the X-Men because it is filled with queer undertones and also I was super attracted to Wolverine. Both the cartoon and of course Hugh Jackman. He’s so dreamy.
QSF: How can we see KAPPA FORCE, and when?
AH: Kappa Force will stream exclusively on REVRY TV and its affiliated channels on October 27th! Just in time for Halloween, which is perfect because the entire show is basically one giant costume party.
QSF: What else are you working on?
AH: I’ve spent the last couple of years developing a trilogy of shorts exploring human’s relationships with artificial intelligence. And yes, it is also queer! They’re currently playing the festival circuit. I’d love to be able to develop this further into an anthology series a la Black Mirror and Room 104. One location, an AI and a human, and also intensely queer. I’m also in development for a Horror feature called Hypochondriac, slated to film next year. It’s also queer!