While many performers only have friends in the audience, for O’Dour it has become a family event. O’Dour said she was nervous about performing to such a large crowd as she stared into a mirror intensely focused on applying her make-up. “It was Monica originally that started all of that and we kind of followed.” “Before Dusty came to this part I had actually never been exposed to drag or never seen any performances,” O’Dour said. Many of the ladies have been performing for less than five years, demonstrating the growth since the first K-State drag show. Having performed for 20 years as Moree, Dusty Garner is credited with bringing drag to the public of Manhattan. The local talent is led by K-State’s own Monica Moree. The tables are flooded with garment pieces, makeup, wigs, nails and even breasts pieces. “It takes anywhere between an hour and a half to three to do makeup, depending on how crazy you’re gonna get, to do face and body.” “I started thinking about the song selection two months ago,” said Patti O’Dour, member of local drag troupe Hot, Sticky and Sweet. A mix of seasoned Manhattan talent and local amateurs are preparing to perform in front of a record drag show crowd. More than 10 ladies are applying makeup, getting dressed and running up and down stairs for rehearsals. The trio laughed and joked with staff and each other while preparing for their microphone checks as if it is just another day at the office.Īcross the hall, the atmosphere is not nearly as relaxed. “We have a circuit that we do and our paths cross a lot.” “Cincinnati is only an hour away from Kentucky so we see each other frequently,” Pearl said. The pair, from Cincinnati, are close and live only a few blocks from one another. Tration has been performing for 17 years and St. Seated on either side of her are longtime friends Monica St. Having been married for 20 years, Pearl said her husband is accustomed to the schedule. Pearl said in a typical weekend, she leaves her home in Kentucky on Thursday, saying goodbye to her husband and 6-year-old daughter until Monday. While the other two ladies were primping, Pearl casually sat in a chair smoking an electronic cigarette. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years now even with the bad economy, I’m still out travelling every weekend.”
“I was complaining on the way down here, saying, ‘Who puts 120,000 miles on a car in three years?'” said Chelsea Pearl, drag performer.
On Saturday night, they joined a cast of seven other queens who took over McCain Auditorium singing, dancing and entertaining an audience of more than 1,500 people. The ladies are part of the fifth annual K-State drag show and make their living as performers.
Without further ado, here are 30 drag performers who have had the most impact on the glamorous and increasingly controversial art form.Two hours before taking the stage, three drag queens sit around a small dressing room liberally applying foundation and sharing some laughs. So far this year, lawmakers in at least 16 states have introduced such measures, with the governors of Tennessee, Florida and Montana signing bills intended to restrict drag performances. While drag is not new, what is new is the tidal wave of state legislation seeking to restrict where and in front of whom drag shows can be performed. It also has undeniably strong ties to the LGBTQ community, with the lion’s share of drag queens and kings identifying as part of the community. JNow that the centuries-old art of drag has become a preferred target in the current culture warfare, we chose to dedicate this year’s annual NBC Out Pride 30 list to the performers who have put this art form on the map.įrom a formerly enslaved person who first donned drag in the late 1800s to the stars of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” this performance art - typically characterized by gender impersonation and exaggerated forms of gender expression - has a long and lasting legacy. By Elaina Patton, Jillian Eugenios, Ellie Rudy, Brooke Sopelsa and Jay Valle
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