MEGAN COURTNEY | A&E Editor
Combining the world of drag and activism to create “Dragtivism” will be the theme of this year’s Gender Sexualities Alliance drag show.
“We tried to make the theme sort of relevant to what’s going on in the world right now,” said Heather Brown-Hudson, department chair of Lindenwood’s gender studies program.
Brown-Hudson said “resistance” is currently surrounding current events, which is “felt” in the protest movement.
“Our theme, Dragtivism, is going to be felt through most of the songs,” Brown-Hudson said.
Angie Barlos, a graphic design student, is performing a dance number to “Bell Bottom Blues” by Derek and the Dominos.
Photo by Megan Courtney
Barlos is excited to perform in the show and “really enjoys it.”
This year’s drag show will be Barlos’ fifth show at Lindenwood.
As a part of the drag show, protest signs are going to be made and be displayed behind the performers or suspended in the air, according to Brown-Hudson.
“A lot of the songs have a relevance to them that speaks to issues that people are feeling today,” Brown-Hudson said.
The opening song to the show is “Jailhouse Rock” by Elvis Presley, in which Brown-Hudson said is a “tongue-in-cheek reference” to the “jailing of protesters in the past couple of years.”
“It’s going to end with a very unifying message of ‘we’re more similar than we are different,’ not to be sappy, but it’s how we’re all approaching it,” Brown-Hudson said.
Brown-Hudson is expecting the performance to fill because of the last show, which was moved to the Lindenwood Theater from the Emerson Black Box Theater because of a large crowd.
“The last time we had the show in the Black Box, there were at least 200 people waiting to get in who weren’t able to get in,” she said. “The doors closed and we were not permitted to have them stand.”
The drag show will be held in the Emerson Black Box Theater on Tuesday, April 10 at 7 p.m. There are no tickets for this event; seating is available as first come, first served.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story stated the GSA drag show is going to be held in the Lindenwood Theater. This has since been corrected.
