By Sam Arseneau
Backrow: Antia Cheque, Lady FeFe Fierce, The Gauddess, Vera Getty, Miz Daphne Frontrow: Kari Kruse, Cynthia Ishimwe, VPSL Jose Gonzalez,Cadre-Editor-in-Chief Sam Arseneau
UPEISU hosted a very special Drag Show this year at the Fox and Crow. The audience was at full capacity given COVID-19 protocol, and there was also an online live stream for people to watch at home. Five queens took the stage and performed an amazing show. The Cadre Editor-in-Chief interviewed the queens about their connection to drag.
Vera Getty
Q: How long have you been doing drag?
A: I’ve been doing drag for 2 and a half years, since pride 2018 in Halifax!
Q: What attracted you to drag?
A: I’ve been watching RuPaul’s Drag Race since I was only 9 years old when the first season came out, kept up with all the different drag scenes across the world as much as I could and one day when I was about 18 years old I told myself I would really work at the craft and become a performer. One year later, just after my 19th birthday I got an opportunity to perform for a Pride open stage in Halifax at Menz & Mollyz Bar and was just hooked.
Q: What is your favourite part of doing drag?
A: My favourite part of doing drag is definitely performing. I’m still very new to styling wigs & creating costumes but I’m confident in my ability to perform so I have a lot of doing that. Aside from that, all the friends I’ve made across the Maritimes in the drag community. It’s great being around so many like-minded individuals even if it’s virtually during the pandemic.
Q: Do you have any inspirations or role models for your drag?
A: Inspirations for my drag and work ethic would be local queens such as Halifax’s Lavender Steel & Zara Matrix. They’re both friends of mine and watching them work and create is the MOST inspiring. They’re on another level as drag goes in the Maritimes for real. My dream would be to be like a Trixie Mattel one day, though. I dream of touring the world, having a podcast, producing tons of content and my own stuff. So she’s a huge role model of mine! Any person doing drag for a long time is also a role model to me, too. I would love to say one day that I’ve been doing drag for 10+ years and really solidify myself as a performer in the community.
Lady FeFe Fierce
Q: How long have you been doing drag?
A: A little over three years
Q: What attracted you to drag?
A: The ability to play with gender and break gender stereotypes and entertain people.
Q: What is your favourite part of doing drag?
A: My favourite part is the audience enjoyment and getting to challenge the way people see gender and drag.
Q: Do you have any inspirations or role models for your drag?
A: Pink, lady gaga and Sasha Velour
The Gauddess
Q: How long have you been doing drag?
A: I’ve been doing drag since January 2020!
Q: What attracted you to drag?
A: What drew me to drag was the aspect of it being so freeing. It’s a way to express one’s art in any way they want and I think that is super commendable!
Q: What is your favourite part of doing drag?
A: My favourite part of drag is performing and making the audience feel excited and energized! I want people to have a sense of “This is entertaining!” when they see me on stage.
Q: Do you have any inspirations or role models for your drag?
A: My inspirations for drag are Adore Delano and Ilona Verley! Their style and personalities are something that I can identify with. My drag role model is my non-technical drag mother Demona Deville. She didn’t officially birth me out of her womb but she definitely adopted me in most ways!
Anita Cheque
Q: How long have you been doing drag?
A: I’ve been doing drag off and on for about two years! I started over in Halifax where I did a few shows but then took a break for a while after I moved back to PEI.
Q: What attracted you to drag?
A: I actually never had any interest in drag until I was roommates with Vera and she was starting to do drag and I got really interested in it!! The ability to mask as a persona where you could be as outrageous as you want was really cool to me.
Q: What is your favourite part of doing drag?
A: My favourite part of doing drag is that it’s always changing and improving. I was a hot mess for like the first year I was doing drag but it’s cool to see how far I’ve come makeup and confidence.
Q: Do you have any inspirations or role models for your drag?
A: I have a lot of inspirations but I really look up to Katya and Tammie Brown because they’re so obscure and crazy but fun.
Miz Daphne
Q: How long have you been doing drag?
A: I was introduced to drag at 13, but never began publicly performing until the past year when I was able to come in contact with the island’s drag community.
Q: What attracted you to drag?
A: As a preteen, drag immediately pulled me in. I was struggling with my own gender identity, more so societies expectations on what my gender role should be or look like. With drag it didn’t matter who you were, you could be drop-dead gorgeous whenever you wanted to be and still be that shining star when all the paint was removed. As an overweight teen that wasn’t fitting into the idealized beauty standards – drag was a great escape.
Q: What is your favourite part of doing drag?
A: My favourite part about doing drag is the lack of construct. Everyone belongs, there’s no rules to who can and can’t do drag – and making rules around it contradicts what drag is in itself.
Q: Do you have any inspirations or role models for your drag?
A: Aesthetic-wise, I get a lot of my inspiration from female artists I admire, Kim Petras, Lekeli47, Ashnikko, and so on. But my largest inspiration is the LGBTQ2+ people in my life, to be involved in a community where acceptance is the number one goal is an honour to be apart of.
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