“It’s a fighter jet,” Emily Rault says, “the Delta Dagger.” It’s also been her stage name since she broke into the world of burlesque and cabaret starting with Edmonton’s Capital City Burlesque troupe.
“There was a girl there who went by Holly Hellcat, which is also a fighter jet, and inspired me to look in the military world,” she says, telling the story of how she made a list of all the names she was considering and then shared it with her friends. They unanimously chose Daggers, and a star was born.
Now the star is coming home, to premier her autobiographical one-woman show “A Night with Miss Delta Daggers” at the Grindstone Theatre on Oct. 21, 2026.
“I decided at one point that my life would be a collection of stories,” Rault says, “I was always worrying how things would turn out. I see it as living in the now and collecting stories — I make my decisions based on what will be best for a future memoir.” She says that telling the story through song and dance with this show is telling it in a way she’s familiar with, though the book may still come somewhere down the line.
Rault comes from a musical family (her dad and uncle Lionel and Ron Rault are local blues legends) and she takes inspiration from soul, folk, jazz, gospel, pop, punk and R&B. She started touring North America and Europe along with her brother, Michael Rault, when she was 18. She followed that up as lead vocalist of soul group The Fortrelles at 20 and released her first solo EP, Getting Burned, at 22.
While Rault was born on the Prairies, Delta Daggers was born on the stages of the world. Four years in Stockholm, Sweden, refined her into the powerhouse performer she is today, where she managed events and danced on stages throughout the city. Her performances range from Berlin to Calgary and most recently Las Vegas, where she’s had a residency hosting Rouge at the Strat Hotel since last spring.
“It’s actually a lot easier to sell Delta and brag about Delta,” Rault says, speaking about the difference between performing as herself versus as her alter ego. “There’s something freeing about having a persona you’ve created, whereas the other one is you that carries all your baggage and personality and insecurities.”
Her upcoming performance at the Grindstone is different, however. “It’s brand new and it’s going to be in a tiny, intimate venue,” she says. “It’ll be interesting for me. I was just performing in a giant theatre and now I’ll be in a room where I can see everyone’s face again.”
And Rault’s story will capture the audience’s attention: her globe-trotting career, marriage, divorce, career disasters and successes, near deportation and other anecdotes leave something for everyone.
“I had itchy feet and wanted to get out of Edmonton to see the world,” she says. “But after Vegas I have never felt happier to be in Edmonton. I got home and was, like, ‘Yes, this is my home.’ I’m going to hang out for a while and work on something personal. It feels right to be here doing this right now.”
The Grindstone Comedy Theatre and Bistro
Ritchie | 10019 81 Ave NW, Edmonton | grindstonetheatre.ca
