Have the holidays and winter weather left you feeling .. a bit .. DRAGGY? Well wave those winter blues away on Saturday January 21! The Venables Theatre and Oliver Community Arts Council are pleased to present JANUARY’S A DRAG! SHOW. Come for the matinee at 2:00 p.m., or the evening performance at 7:30 p.m. Get ready for colour and energy and laughter, and maybe a little boost of empowerment.
Four Drag Queens and one Drag King will strut their sparkly stuff and make you smile! Ella Lamoureux, Toddy, Dora Knob, Sparkle, and Rez Daddy are all from the heart of the Okanagan and ready to put on two glamorous shows for you!
The matinee promises to be a fun and uplifting all-ages (45-60 minute) show for a taste of the glam of drag! The whole family can have fun simply enjoying the costumes, music, makeup, jokes, and sassy entertainment. Starting at 2 p.m., each performer will present one number, then there will be some games and engagement with the audience.
Bring your adult pals for a more risque night out at 7:30PM to the full-length show which will include some comedy, live singing and audience interaction. The full-length performance will involve more numbers, high-energy spectacle, and more adult content.
And what IS drag, exactly? Drag is performance art! It’s dressing up in stylized costumes, creating a persona, and acting in exaggerated ways as something you may not be in real life. Men dressing as women, and women dressing as men. Drag has been around for hundreds of years. Think Shakespeare, English pantomime, Vaudeville! slapstick comedy, Jerry Lewis! Where there is theatre, there is drag.
Drag is about disguise and display, being unique but finding togetherness, putting on a persona but respecting personhood. Drag can be bold and brassy but also a sensitive and emotional art form. It makes you smile … makes you think … and maybe warms your heart.
Ella Lamoureux
Ella Lamoureux is one of the founding performers of the Kelowna drag scene. From Kelowna’s Next Drag Superstar drag competition, Embodiment, #2muffs1collr, to recent star on Call Me Mother, Ella has carved out her place as one of the most influential and stunning drag performers in Kelowna. A makeup artist by trade, Ella will eternally tease you with her beauty. But, watch out if you displease her — that tongue is quick and sharper than you think! She’s generally “as sweet as cherry pie” and she brings so much love and joy to the community. A true charmer, Ella Lamoureux is Kelowna’s Sweetheart.
Sparkle
She twinkles, she glistens, she sparkles…and she’s the Okanagan’s cocktail queen! Known for her energy, charisma, sassy wit, and fabulous blonde hair, Sparkle serves up a delicious combination of glamor, alcohol, and witty repartee.
Rez Daddy
Rez Daddy is looking for honeys to spoil. He’s got baby mama drama, blankets on his windows, and a beat up car. Looking to snag? He’s your guy. He might even give you a hickey while you’re at it. Rez Daddy is gonna wiggle his frog butt and show off his beer gut.
Dora Knob
Dora Knob made her debut at Kelowna’s Next Drag Superstar in June 2019 alongside extra special guest Cinthia Lee Fontaine of RuPaul’s Drag Race. She has since performed for Nuit Blanche at the Centre Culturel Francophone de l’Okanagan, Fruitcake of Rebellious Unicorn at Status Nightclub in Vernon, at Friends of Dorothy as well as private events. In July 2020 she was also cast & filmed in a yet to be released short movie production. More recently she has been co-hosting Drag Queen Paint & Sips art classes.
Toddy
Toddy is a high energy drag performer, standup comedian and singer-songwriter. Toddy has most recently been featured in OutTV’s new drag reality series “Call Me Mother”, and was the Season One Winner! Trained as an opera singer, they often find themself at the intersect of classical music and mainstream media. As a comedian, Toddy has been featured on CBC LOL, JFL42, JFL Northwest and the Portland Queer Comedy Festival. They are the number one shrill icon!
January is a Drag! Show is presented by Venables Theatre and the Oliver Community Arts Council with the support of the Community Presenters Assistance program (of the BC Arts Council and BC Touring Council). The all-ages show is at 2:00 with tickets at $10 and the full evening show (recommended 16+) is at 7:30 with tickets at $25. For tickets and more information visit www.venablestheatre.ca
Dressing up is welcome! Because, hey! who really wants January to be a plain old boring … drag, eh?
