by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
What: Inside / Out Drag Show
When: January 11th @ 10:30 pm
Where: The Norm
You've probably heard of drag queens. Maybe you've even caught a show at the Metro. But there's a flip side to gender bending performers-the drag king. Instead of a man dressed up like a woman, it's a woman dressed up as a man. The Norm will hosting a mixed drag show of performers as a charity for Micah's Place, a domestic abuse center in Nassau County.
"It's hard for drag kings to get a place at the Metro," says show organizer Vanessa Adams, "It's not really heard of very often."
Adams runs Mini Mafia Entertainment, which is presenting the Inside / Out Group and Show. She's also an experienced drag king herself, winning the title of Mr. Sunshine State 2008.
Being a drag king is more than just donning a fedora like Madonna. As with drag queens, they tend to hyper-exaggerate the gender they're presenting. Many performers don sideburns and facial hair in order to be perceived as more male. Large breasted women must find a way to mask their curves and learn to move like a dude instead of a chick.
Obviously, drag kings are part of lesbian culture, but not all drag kings are lesbians. The culture and method of performance of drag kings differs from their drag queen counter-parts. Whilst drag queens mostly perform alone, drag kings tend to band together and perform as a troupe.
For the Inside / Out Show at the Norm, audience members will be seeing a variety of performers and gender associations. There will be drag kings, queens and kittens. Kittens, aka bio queens, femme queens or faux queens, are actually biological females who perform as females. They often perform with drag kings and may or may not be lesbians. There will be kittens at the Inside / Out Show.
"They just don't take any clothes off. That's a totally different show," says Adams.
Despite a shocking lack of nudity, this show is apt to be different from the usual fare, drag or not.
"We don't want people to say, 'we've seen this kind of show before.'…We try to be different [than other drag shows]."
"For us it's not really about the money. It's about being able to be on stage and make people happy-at the same time, making something right."
"We as a group decided that this was the cause to raise money for because this is a problem that for many goes unreported and unseen, and we felt that we needed to show support to an organization that was fighting for the rights of others and giving voice to those that go otherwise unheard."
Micah's Place is the only certified domestic violence center for Nassau County. Many of the women who need their help come from geographically isolated areas in the county and Micah's Place is their only refuge.
Director Shandra Riffey is excited about working with Inside / Out for this event and is impressed with group leader Vanessa Adams' dynamic passion and enthusiasm for their program.
"We are going to be using the money primarily for outreach," says Riffey. "To get supplies for various outreach programs. A lot of it will used for art supplies…for the kids."
Since domestic abuse victims often bring their children with them, supplying for their needs and keeping the kids busy is an essential part of the program at Micah's Place.
The Inside / Out Drag Show will be at The Norm (2925 Roosevelt Blvd.) on Friday, January 11th. The show will be starting at 10:30 pm, and it will last about an hour and a half with raffles and intermission. It will cost $5 at the door and there will be a place set up for private donations or you can buy a promotional T-shirt.
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