There’s more to being a drag king than putting on fake facial hair and lip syncing.
Pretty Boi Drag — the outfit behind the soon-to-be-bimonthly F*CK BRUNCH! show — hopes to prove it by hosting a free “drag king workshop” at Bier Baron Tavern (1523 22nd St. NW) Saturday at 11 a.m.
For the uninitiated, a drag king is a female-bodied person impersonating or dressing as a male, explained Pretty Boi Drag co-producer Chris Jay. Drag king performers usually take on hyper-masculine alter egos and strut their stuff on stage or in front of an audience. In essence, it’s the opposite of a drag queen, Jay added.
This weekend’s workshop will give locals the chance to learn more about the art form.
“You can learn a little bit of history as to how we came be,” Jay said. “You’ll also learn about changing your mannerisms to be more masculine.”
During the introduction, attendees will be made up to look like drag kings and learn how to speak, act and look the part. And that includes interacting with members of an audience, Jay said.
“We go into how to pick out what songs to perform and how to interact with the audience,” Jay added. “You’ll also develop a new character or alter ego or persona during the workshop.”
The class will also include lessons on tying a tie and a photograph of the group, post-transformation.
Though the introductory session isn’t an audition, it could lead to a more permanent role with Pretty Boi Drag. The group’s first workshop in April led to four performers and a handful of stage crew coming aboard, Jay said. And if someone wants to come and simply observe the workshop, that’s okay, too.
“If somebody really just wants to come and observe and we don’t have any more registration spots, they can shoot us an email and let us know,” Jay said. “We don’t have any problem with expanding a little bit for people like that.”
Attendees are encouraged to arrive with a small mirror, a pair of scissors, some makeup and of course, a rough idea of their ideal drag persona.
Class size is limited, however. As of this article’s publication, there were only four workshop spots remaining, Jay said.
The next free Pretty Boi Drag workshop will take place in roughly three months.
Photos courtesy Pretty Boi Drag
As a fan of stand-up comedy, I find myself attending a lot of local comedy shows. I’ve learned that D.C. has a distinctly good comedy scene, and if you go to enough shows and you will start noticing familiar faces.
One of these familiar faces belongs to Matt Begué and I recently talked to him about his stand-up, among other things:
Borderstan: So you live in Navy Yard?
Matt Begué: Yeah, I live in Navy Yard now. I live right across the street from the baseball stadium. And I moved in right after baseball season, so I don’t know how crazy it gets down there.
It’s a cool spot. I like it there. They say when all of the construction’s done, it’s going to be the most densely populated neighborhood in D.C., which I believe. (more…)
