The art of drag is hitting Okotoks in a big way. 

Drag is a gender-bending art form in which a person dresses in clothing and makeup meant to exaggerate a specific gender identity, usually of the opposite sex, this can be male or female impersonation. 

While drag’s main purpose has been for drag performance and entertainment, it is also used as self-expression and a celebration of LGBTQ+ pride. You’ll find the Drag Queens lip-syncing or dancing, and performers often have exaggerated elaborate clothing, hair, and makeup.

For most people, their first exposure to the art form is from the show RuPaul's Drag Race and its many spin-offs including the popular northern edition Canada’s Drag Race. (Recently featuring Calgary’s Stephanie Prince.) 

Calgary is considered one of western Canadas strongest communities of drag and as a bedroom community of Calgary, it makes sense that the talent flows outwards into the foothills. 

Tom Barker, also known in the local drag community under the name Birthday Girl, is relatively new to the scene as a performer but has an extensive history within the local community as well as the drag community. We got chatting about the art form as well as its place in the foothills! 

Listen to our chat below:

Quite often it's more than just a show for these performers. Events like these offer a feeling of belonging, says Barker. 

“It's really cool to see … So often people in the LGBTQ+ community that live in these bedroom communities of Airdrie, Okotoks, High River, Nanton, all those places, they generally have to go to the city to feel like they belong somewhere or that they can find like other people of the same community.”

The latest shows took place at the beginning of December and sold out almost instantly. He is especially happy to see it welcomed in the town he grew up in.

“To see it kind of bleeding into these little communities, especially somewhere like Okotoks that has, to be fair, had a troubled past with this sort of thing. It's really great to see it bleeding out and having such an insane reaction as well. Selling these shows out in an hour for the first one, and then three hours for the second one, it was insane.”

It's not the first show to hit the foothills. The Okotoks library had its Reading with Royalty event as well as smaller shows at breweries including Hub Town and Hard Knox. 

"As RuPaul says, it's about taking and mocking everyday life. It's mocking what everybody thinks being a human is … You're all born naked, the rest is drag. It's true."

Find out more about drag and the local LGBTQ+ communities. 

Okotoks Pride

Website, Facebook, Instagram 

Foothills Rainbow Connection

Website - You can also find a tonne of resources here.


I am a huge fan of the art style and culture and I personally hear “I just don’t get drag” quite a bit and that’s TOTALLY fine!
However, if you like theatre, music and most of all fun. Give it a shot and keep your eyes peeled for the next show.

~Logan

 

p.s. ...if you made it this far and don't know what the "Death Drop" thing is in the headline... click here.