Drag Qqeen Valerie Hunt performs at the Ol' Beautiful Brewing Co. in Calgary on Feb. 21.Jeff McIntosh/The Globe and Mail
As someone who cut their teeth in the food and beverage industry while working at a Saskatoon gay bar in his early 20s, I can confidently say that drag really isn’t what it used to be – and that’s a great thing.
The drag scene on the Prairies didn’t start picking up mainstream momentum until 2018, when I helped organize a large-scale drag brunch event in Calgary. It was one of the city’s first contemporary, commercially marketed drag brunches. Today, there is at least one drag brunch a week in the city and the art form has turned into a booming business.
This, of course, is largely thanks to RuPaul commanding the world’s attention by way of his popular Drag Race television show, and its many offshoots.
Since then, I’ve watched the careers of many drag performers flourish. Alberta’s Karla Marx, Felicia Bonée, Angelina Starchild and Ivy League; B.C. performers Eddi Licious and Mina Mercury; Perla of Toronto; Ruby Chopstix and Satina Loren of Winnipeg – the list goes on. Calgary’s Stephanie Prince and Vancouver’s Kendall Gender and Gia Metric have all shot to fame recently after appearing on the platform many drag performers now aspire to join, Canada’s Drag Race.
No longer tied to lip-syncing at the stroke of midnight to the pulsating beat of a Kelly Clarkson remix (though this is still a very enjoyable experience), queens now perform at all times of day: drag brunch, afternoon shows, drag dinner theatre. There’s even a company in Calgary called Hired Heels that gained local fame during the pandemic for offering sidewalk and front-yard drag performances.
Adam Kieran, best known as the drag performer Valerie Hunt, has been doing drag in Calgary for just more than four years. Since starting out, the queen has noticed a huge uptick in opportunities, with events at local pubs, restaurants and breweries – not your “typical” queer hangouts.
“It’s really a pollination of sorts,” says Hunt. “Once you plant the seed, I feel like the [queer energy] remains within a space after the fact.”
In late 2021, Hunt was a runner-up on a new drag series, Call Me Mother. The show, which airs on OutTV, has notably upped Hunt’s notoriety, and they are busier than ever.
In Calgary alone, fans can now enjoy drag at National Beer Hall, College Bar, The Attic in Inglewood, Winebar Kensington, The Prairie Emporium and even The Rooftop YYC and Blind Beggar Smokehouse. The food and drink scene is oversaturated with options and times have been tough, so local businesses are hiring drag performers to help fill their venues.
Calgary's food-and-drink scene is oversaturated with options and times have been tough, so some businesses are hiring drag performers to help fill their venues.Jeff McIntosh/The Globe and Mail
It is a symbiotic relationship that, when done with authenticity, helps establish a business as a safe space and also provides viable income to local performers.
“I want people to know that all drag is valid and that it’s important to support local artists of all kinds. Whether you’re a business owner or a patron coming to a show, investing in your local performing arts community, drag or otherwise, will always benefit a city and help it to be more vibrant,” Hunt says.
To local bar and restaurant owners looking to dip their toes in the vast waters of drag, Hunt offers this piece of advice:
“Go to a drag show, learn the rules and enjoy the experience for yourself,” Hunt says. “To me, that’s the perfect starting point. Immerse yourself in the scene, and then do the work to find who might be a perfect fit for your space. Don’t be afraid to reach out – we love what we do and we love sharing it with people.”
Last year in Winnipeg, despite the city’s lockdown restrictions, Synonym Art Consultation managed to launch Gorge Fest, a first-of-its-kind virtual festival in Canada celebrating the art of drag. Synonym is also the organizer of local art residencies, the Wall-to-Wall Mural and Culture Festival, and the Tallest Poppy’s famed monthly drag brunch series.
Synonym’s co-founder, Andrew Eastman, says drag queens can be wary of venues suddenly wanting to host drag events if the business has not, traditionally, been supportive of the LGBTQ community.
“I’m always a little bit wary of non-queer-owned-and-operated spaces because there is a likelihood of [a business] trying to capitalize on the trend of it,” says Mr. Eastman.
Eastman encourages performers to do some digging first, to make sure the venue owners and programmers have good intentions.
“The more opportunity performers can get to make their art a larger part of their income stream, the better, but I think it’s good to rely on the queer community to communicate with one another and find fitting places that will be positive and safe spaces.”
There is currently no standardized pay for drag performers, Eastman says. This is something that Synonym is currently working to establish, so that local businesses new to working with drag artists can have a baseline understanding of what’s expected, and so that performers get their fair dues.
Compared with other cities on the Prairies, Winnipeg has had more restrictions during the pandemic, so events are just now starting to get up and running again. Eastman says that they hope to have their drag brunch series make its triumphant return in April, and they will continue to work with local performers.
“We’re excited to get back at it now that things are easing up,” Mr. Eastman says. “Synonym is continually thinking of ways to incorporate drag artists into what we do, from videos and mural projects, to brunch and beyond... We’re going to try and keep that up.”
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Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified Andrew Eastman as non-binary. In fact, he identifies as male.