I have always been on stage. I grew up singing in choirs. From the 3rd grade on, I was in every choir available to me, even being a paid singer in a church while only 17. However, I ended up working as in IT for 17+ years while only performing for fun. That all changed in 2012 when I was in the audience at Saturday Night Live!
While watching the show, I realized the work they were doing wasn’t very different from the performances I was doing with the Dumpsta Players. The difference was budget and “polish” when it came to makeup and costuming. I had this overwhelming feeling of “I can do that.” So, after a bit of research, I found out that many performers on SNL are scouted from various comedy schools. That’s when I enrolled in sketch writing and improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade in NYC.
In April of 2023 I was thrilled to play the role of Madame in “The Maids” by Jean Genet presented by Automatic Arts and The Kammerspiel.
This was very much a dream come true. I had the opportunity to do, what is often referred to as, “legit” theatre, in full drag. After many years of performing in drag in bars, very late at night, for often intoxicated patrons, with lines that I barely learned, I was finally able to perform in drag and get to bed at a reasonable hour! I suppose all those late nights at the bar have paid off.
Seriously, though, this was a great play to feature a drag queen. There is a lot to bit off in terms of character development and the power dynamics between those characters and they get lost between fantasy and reality. In fact, this would have been a great grad school thesis, and during the process, I truly tried to give it as much attention and thought as I would a thesis. Below is a little something I wrote as part of the program notes. Here I take a brief, but deeper dive into the inner working of “The Maids.”
Drag and Genet
Jean Genet’s The Maids follows two maids, Solange and Claire, as they fantasize about murdering their employer, Madame. The play is celebrated for its searing critique of bourgeois society and its exploration of themes such as power dynamics, identity, and the intersection of fantasy and reality. The play’s exploration of power dynamics between oppressors and oppressed is mirrored in the world of drag performance, where drag queens and kings use clothing and performance to subvert dominant cultural narratives about gender identity.
The maids take turns playing the role of Madame, trying on her power and status by wearing her dresses and makeup. It becomes apparent that Madame’s clothing and “finery” play a significant role in creating her power and formidability. Drag performers also do this by using clothing and makeup to create powerful and over the top personas. Indeed, the desire to stand out and find power through formidability is often the driving force behind many people’s decision to perform in drag.
Genet’s exploration of power and oppression also resonates with the art of drag because performers often face discrimination and marginalization similar to the maids. Drag performers use clothing and performance to challenge and subvert dominant cultural narratives about gender and class, which is risky business. On stage, a drag queen can become anybody through the power of makeup and costumes. Off stage, a drag queen must contend with a world that does not necessarily value their personhood outside of their performance. Just as the maids cannot easily escape their oppression, drag performers struggle to survive in a culture built on oppressing anyone who deviates from the current cultural norms.
The Maids is also notable for its exploration of the interplay between fantasy and reality, as the maids’ murderous daydreams begin to seep into their interactions with Madame, leading to a sense of ambiguity and confusion. Similarly, the art of drag relies heavily on the idea of blurring boundaries, especially those related to gender. Drag performers often use their persona as a means of expressing aspects of themselves that they feel constrained to hide in their daily lives. In some cases, the drag persona is a wholly separate entity, existing apart from the performer’s off-stage identity, while other times, the drag persona is an extension of one’s identity.
The Maids highlights the ways in which power can be used to dominate and oppress others, as Madame exploits her maids for her own gain. This critique of power structures is echoed in many drag performances, which challenge and subvert dominant cultural narratives about gender and class.
For more information about “The Maids” click here to go to The Kammerspiel
From 2004 until 2016, I was a member of the Dumpsta Players, a Philadelphia based drag and performance art group. We performed original 30-45 scripted shows using pop songs as the musical numbers to tell a unique queer story on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. This is where I created my character, Amanda Playwythe. It was a name I chose last minute before taking the stage in the annual Prom Trash competition, the search for the trashiest prom queen! Over the course of my time as a member of the Dumspta Players I went on to win this competition more than anyone else in the history of the event! For more info and pics of the Dumpsta Players go here!
Check out this playlist to see sample of my work with the Dumpsta Players as well as some of my favorite pictures. I’ve collected these over the years on multiple devices so I may have lost track of who took certain pictures. Please contact me and I’ll make sure to give credit where needed.
