Drag Kingdom Makes a Difference

Watching the faces of the audience as they witness King after King being fully self-expressed is the biggest reward at Drag Kingdom. I see facial expressions of awe, downright shock, and hope that the liberation being demonstrated on stage is possible for those watching. And it is.

The journey of becoming a Drag King and developing a persona that goes beyond one's everyday interactions gives people the confidence to pull out all the stops and express themselves in ways they haven’t before. Certainly not in front of a crowd of people. Each time they perform, a new deposit of confidence and faith in themselves gets banked, filling up the cup of self-assurance. Once you’ve gone to those places, you can’t un-go there and new freedom is available.

Drag Kingdom happens twice a year and is a reunion of the Kings of Joy community. The fun antics of being a Drag King with your bros cannot be understated. I’m talking about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

So let’s have a look at the impact we made by gathering together:

• 29 Kings of Joy performed in groups, trios, and some incredible debut solos!
• 110 people in our community said hell yes! I want to see you on stage in your Drag King persona and bought a ticket to attend.
• We raised $766.56 for our LGBT refugee friends living in Block 13, Kakuma, Kenya through 10% of ticket sales, merch plus the food made and catered for by Chris through their business Cohab Coffee. All food sales went to Block 13. They send their love, solidarity and appreciation.
• 8 future Kings have been paid forward by the community to participate in Kings of Joy Gold Stars, the debut group performance opportunity for first-time Drag Kings. These Kings of Joy get to perform at the Queers of Joy show in this pay-it-forward program.
• 6 new potential Kings of Joy signed up for the waiting list due to all the Kings who performed, demonstrating what it is to be a King of Joy and be part of such a supportive community. 
• 100% smiles on faces

This was accomplished with the support of many hands. Let me give a shout-out to:

* The Red Rattler where we hold our performance events. I've loved this home since Chris and I performed together in our first Drag King group in 2018 and my diva dance group, Show Ponies started performing there in 2019. Shout out to the team especially Kween, Venue Manager, Sammi, Duty Manager and Sally on tech.

* Becks aka Jim Junkie, Production Manager

* El aka One Bucket Bob, Stage Manager

* Louie aka Woody, videography and Sarah Malone, photography

* Anna aka Chad Love and Chris aka Ewin Trouble, makeup team with incredible setup support by Renee Taylor aka Aftercare Bear

* Charlie aka Thomo the Skank Engine, door

* Jacob with the beautiful face and chaps, merch table

* Our hosts, Chris aka Chase Cocks and Jade aka Klit Angel

* The Kings of Joy All-Stars who performed Jailhouse Rock (Goondiwindi Jones, Dustin le Rugrat, Chase Cocks, Maggot Banks, ShaMan.)

* Our debut solo acts - Hugh F. Bewdy and Dustin le Rugrat

* All the Kings of Joy performers!

And finally, thank you to The Working Kind Collective for providing us with our palace for rehearsals, in-house events, and workshops. 

xx

Danica

The King Coach, Daddy Joy, Mother of Drag Kings.

P.S. Wanna be a Drag King? Sign up to the waiting list for Kings of Joy here