OUT AND PROUD: A ‘Band of Brothers’ unite
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OUT AND PROUD: A ‘Band of Brothers’ unite
Categories: Out&About, 1753 words11 feedbacks • PermalinkBy: Emily Rea
With the gaining recognition and acceptance of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders among people in our society today, the performance world of the drag king arena is steady on its heels. The other side to its more commonly known sibling, the drag queen, drag kings are female performance artists who dress as men as part of their routine. In existence since the 19th century, drag-kinging has become increasingly popular within the past year alone, its prevalence gaining ground alongside the slow-but-sure acquirement of gays’ equal rights. Their “coming out” party has arrived, representing the voice of a people who have been long overdue their time to shine.
Not necessarily lesbian, though a large part of lesbian culture, drag kings transform genders by way of clothing and make-up for their shows. Otherwise, they lead perfectly normal lives off of the stage. Take, for example, Shannon Smith, a resident of Wilmington who has been involved in theater her entire life. She is currently a bartender who enjoys painting, writing and staying active in her community. And she likes it when you call her Big Poppa.
“Why the duplicity?” she asked in an e-mail to encore. “Because I am a drag king.”
Indeed, Smith is one-fourth of Wilmington’s first and only drag king troupe, Band of Brothers, a talented lot of lesbian women who dress in drag and pour their hearts into every show they perform. Their schedule is booked two nights monthly at the locally gay-owned and operated nightclub Ibiza. Despite a fairly new performance career—they debuted on February 15th, 2007—the group has already received national acclaim.
“We have been approached (and accepted) to do a national tour, in cities as far away as Jacksonville, Florida, possibly including Raleigh and other cities in Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia,” Smith revealed in her e-mail.
Most rapidly approaching is a performance scheduled this week as part of Wilmington PRIDE 2007, a seven-day celebration “for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community members with friends, families and allies,” according to the event’s Web site, WilmingtonPride.com.
“Our dance cards are filling fast,” Smith was happy to announce.
With as much chemistry and collective rhythm that would appear necessary for such success, it is hard to fathom that each member has only known the others for less than two years. Their serendipitous meetings were founded through mutual friends, hanging out at bars and attending community events. The brothers are a tight-knit bunch just the same, comprising Shannon Smith (“Big Poppa”), director and MC of the shows; Sara Coleman (“Jack Dailey”), the only previously professional drag king before Band of Brothers came together; Bridget Palmer (“Ashton Kelly”), the current reigning Mr. Ibiza 2007; and Lindsey McDuffie (“Ryan Scott”), another Wilmington native.
The idea for Band of Brothers sparked not long after the friendships were formed, although Smith recalled sensing a need for it for some time. “As a gay woman, I had attended the drag shows for years and could sense a waning in the support of drag kings. Many of the regular performers were ‘retiring,’ and drag king shows were becoming few and far in between. There were really only just a couple of drag kings left to do regular shows, and none of the kings were really working together or coming up with fresh ideas.”
Smith made the initial phone call to Christine at Ibiza with the simple request of being in charge of a show one night called King of Hearts. “I had no idea what I was doing,” she admitted. “I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with the time or budget she gave me, but I decided to run with it. I knew we needed new blood within the king arena, and so I put out a call for anyone interested in becoming a drag king.”
A few answered the call right away—for others it took a bit of convincing—but eventually the other ladies were all on board. From that point on, the Band of Brothers were united.
“I never even entertained the idea of doing drag before creating The Kings of Hearts show,” Smith said. “[But] performing as a drag king is a great experience, and I am constantly learning new things and shaping my performances.”
Those performances are nothing if not all-out entertainment. The ladies perform by way of lip-synching to such popular performers as Kid Rock, Akon and Usher. The costumes and make-up are elaborate, including facial hair—usually their own hair saved from haircuts—and breast-binding.
The camaraderie among group members is nothing half-hearted either. “Even when we recently competed against each other in the Mr. Ibiza pageant, we were helping each other apply facial hair and tying each others’ ties,” Smith said. “It’s hard to shake the fratnernity among us. We can hang out outside of shows and support each other when one member is performing solo.”
Yet, below the surface, dressing in drag and performing onstage is much more than simply providing a great concert or setting the mood for a feel-good, late-night party downtown among drinks with friends. To Smith and the others, as gay women, it is an expression of identity, one that is long overdue recognition.
“I can say, hey, this is part of me ... this is our culture,” Smith declared. “If one person sees a flyer for one of our performances, or stumbles across our MySpace page, or reads [an] article and feels he or she can be even the slightest more comfortable with their own sexuality [because of it], then it’s been worth it.”
Drag-kinging can therefore be seen as a means to giving a voice and an image to a long-time oppressed group of human beings, people who can now stand up against the ignorance, miseducation and disregard of those guilty of oppressing.
“It exists—homosexuality is not a handicap or a disease, it is a genuine feeling and way of life for many people,” Smith asserted. She continued to account for her lifestyle as a drag king by posing the question, “Why should I mask the feelings in my actions? How absurd to live that way, about anything. Life is much too short and full of so many other obstacles to be untrue to oneself.”
In that respect, standing up on a stage proclaiming everything they are and making no apologies for what they aren’t, the Brothers are not only liberating and expressing themselves but also serving as a great inspiration to those who still remain in the closet.
“I feel it’s extremely important to be ‘out,’” Smith said. “I am hurting far less people by loving than anyone else is by hating me for doing so. ... Why should I hide who I am or what I feel? ... How should hiding myself serve anyone, gay or straight? How does shielding them from the reality that there are gay men and women all around [serve] to enhance their life?”
These are questions that escape the crowd at Ibiza on the first and third Thursdays of every month, when Band of Brothers performs, their positive energy evident in their clapping, singing and cheers.
“It can’t be duplicated. It’s simply euphoric,” Smith described of performing. She seems to take into personal account the enjoyment of each audience member, often times pulling them onstage or singing to them for a few lines “until [I] get a smile.”
Adding to her enjoyment are the other members of Brothers, whose varied personalities and interests allow for an interesting mix onstage.
“Lindsey and Sara are really into punk-rock, grunge rock music. ... I tend to prefer to perform more hip-hop, R ‘n’ B-like songs. ... Bridget is probably the most versatile of the group, [which is] probably another reason she is Mr. Ibiza. ... it’s been awesome to see her bloom as a performer.”
For all her hard work and conscientiousness as a director, performer and activist, Smith has come to realize the benefits of her vision on a personal level as well. She was recently voted a nomination in the category of OutStanding Female Community Member for the OutWilmington Community Spirit Awards ceremony. “[I] couldn’t be more honored!” she said humbly. Touting a supportive family to boot, her mother will be present for the ceremony, as was her stepmother during the Brothers’ May 17th show at Ibiza.
With Smith at the helm, Band of Brothers has quickly gained ground in the Wilmington area. In addition to performing at Ibiza, each group member is available to perform solo as well.
In fact, the Brothers aren’t just four drag kings anymore: They have added Stefanie Juel and Courtney Lee to the mix. Stefanie and Courtney are the group’s “femme performers,” sometimes referred to as “kittens,” which are biologically female performers who perform as girls during songs alongside drag kings.
In the midst of all the hype and surges of adrenaline that come along with being in the public eye—particularly as entertainers—the group fully recognizes the underlying significance of what their out-and-proud lifestyle represents to others in Wilmington, whether they are a part of the LGBT community or not. “[Drag-kinging as a] sort of self-expression is liberating to watch, even for someone who might not share the same orientation or beliefs as we do,” Smith observed.But make no mistake, the Brothers are in no way out for recognition as being the first drag kings in Wilmington—”I could never take credit for all the strides the kings before us have made,” Smith said—however, as part of the first drag king troupe in Wilmington, they recognize their essential part in its continuation.
“We are doing things differently than they have ever been done here before,” Smith stated frankly. We’re networking with drag kings all over the world to expand our ideas on performance and push the envelope. We want to be better.”
For now they are simply doing what they could not fathom doing otherwise: performing as drag kings, yes, but remaining a vital part of a greater whole: a social movement that promotes and epitomizes tolerance and acceptance—and more than a little booty shakin.’
Don’t miss them during PRIDE week on Saturday the 16th at the Soapbox for a show entitled “Girls Rockin’ Out,” including Someday Merry, Sonia and Diasppear Fear, Volatile Baby, Someone’s Sister, Near Misses, and, another group of drag kings, the T-Birds. The doors open at 9pm; tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.
