Drag Race Down Under, part of the popular RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise, is filming in New Zealand. In their own words, local drag talent share what drag means to them and how it might be impacted by the show. RuPaul’s Drag Race is, quite simply, a television phenomenon. Love it or hate it, it has … Read more
The children’s theatre show that is making some conservatives furious opens in Wellington this week. Emily Writes spoke to co-creator George Fowler about the controversy, and the empowering message behind the play. When we talk over the weekend, George Fowler is on top of the world despite the challenging week he’s had. On Wednesday, his … Read more
They’re here, they’re queer, and they’re at a precipice of a new frontier in both entertainment and performance. We’re Here is the new Neon show that takes drag out of the city and into small town America, writes Dejan Jotanovic. Drag, as an artform, isn’t by any means new. It was common practice in Elizabethan … Read more
Every single Lip Sync For Your Life/Legacy, ranked. “Two queens stand before me. Ladies this is your last chance to impress me and save yourself from elimination. The time has come for you to Lip Sync For Your Life. Good luck and don’t fuck it up!” No, it’s not Game of Thrones. Eleven regular seasons, … Read more
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, Alex Casey and Jihee Junn give their thoughts on Dragfest 2019. With the growing mainstream success of RuPaul’s Drag Race has also come a deluge of drag superstars visiting New Zealand to perform in front of glittered-up and sold … Read more
Season 11 of RuPaul’s Drag Race comes to an end tonight, leaving a void in the souls of its massive fandom. But don’t put away your merch money yet – there are plenty of local acts waiting to steal your heart. In the immortal words of Jasmine Masters, RuPaul has fucked up drag. With the … Read more
House of Drag winner Hugo Grrrl says his Wellington events company has had over 100 events disappear from Facebook. Wellington events organiser and drag king George Fowler has been left “devastated” after a targetted attack on Facebook caused the entirety of his companies’ events to be removed. Winning TVNZ’s House of Drag as drag king … Read more
In the latest Frame documentary for the Spinoff, produced by Wrestler and funded by NZ on Air, we meet the people who have made drag such a big part of Wellington’s popular culture. Wellington is one of the most accepting parts of the country to do drag, according to 21-year-old Monique Walford. “I feel like … Read more
Alex Casey visits the chaotic House of Drag mansion, and meets the dragstars changing the face of local reality TV. At the end of the winding driveway of the House of Drag mansion, we are met with two drag queens luxuriating in nude underwear, eating cheeseburgers and dangling their feet in the enormous fountain. It … Read more
In her weekly column, Zoe Scheltema looks at an issue or trend in the world of beauty. This week, she unlocks the secrets behind some of the most dramatic looks at the Pride Parade, with the help of drag makeup artist Sam McGregor. The annual Pride Parade took over Ponsonby Road on Saturday evening, as 65 floats celebrated … Read more