Irish drag artists serving the uplifting online content the community needs during lockdown

From fairytale parodies to lip-sync extravaganzas, Irish drag artists have been finding exciting new ways to show their amazing creativity during lockdown.

Entertainment . Written by Oisin Kenny.

Split screen of lots of different drag artists

Irish drag artists have been turning out phenomenal digital content during lockdown, showcasing immense creativity and an empowering sense of community. 

Though the lockdown has sadly seen the closing of queer spaces, drag quickly took over the online and rose to become a shining light during these challenging times. Bringing together legendary artists and a wide array of talent, queens and kings continue to entertain the community and bring everyone together. 

Irish drag artists are dazzling audiences with digital content. Their constant creativity throughout lockdown has been inspiring, especially as baby queens and kings emerge onto the online scene with exciting new ideas.

Here are some of the Irish drag artists who are bringing it during lockdown:

Regina George

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_ssU_9nn6f/

Ireland’s incredible dancing drag queen, Regina George, has partnered with director Felicia Eline Holdø for a heartwarming look behind the scenes. The documentary Painted With Feeling follows the artist throughout her day from practicing routines to performing on stage as well as getting ready on the train! She opens up about coming out and what drag means to her. 

Regina shared how the documentary came about, “I had gotten to a point in my career where I had achieved so much and done almost everything there was to do in a small town but I somehow found myself stuck in the same routine and for me personally I wanted to venture out of the darkness of the nightclubs and into the light of day, to get into TV, to make music, and ultimately challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone.”

The queen further said, “I wanted to be seen both in and out of drag and to share some of my story so far, so I decided to collaborate with a Norwegian film crew to have them follow me around and be the first people to get an insight into my life – from my childhood, to my coming out story and how I get into drag, what it means to me and what I’ve experienced along the way… including the good, the bad and the ugly.”

Painted With Feeling was released on April 25. Each shot captures Regina’s life in stunning detail. 

Speaking about why she started performing, Regina shared, “Drag has given me a platform and the power to entertain and inspire people, to travel and meet new people. It presented me with so many wonderful opportunities that I honestly can’t imagine where I would be today had I not took to the stage. I’m excited for the future and whatever doors are yet to open for me.”

For anyone looking to get into drag during lockdown or afterwards, Regina has the following advice, “Drag at the end of the day is one of the oldest forms of entertainment and although it can be quite competitive, I believe the only person you should be in competition with is yourself. To constantly grow and evolve while having fun and inspiring others to do the same. I feel I’ve achieved that, so now I can move onto bigger and better things and hopefully drag can continue to take me to new places and bring many more exciting opportunities my way.”

Dr Panti Bliss and Miss Bunny O’Hare

Oh, these iconic queens are bringing the laughs that are much needed! With some technological magic, Dr Panti Bliss and Miss Bunny O’Hare have given their ‘2am Dressing Room Shenanigans’ an online upgrade.

Speaking about the changes to their hilarious lip-sync show, Panti wrote on Instagram, “I’m not sure exactly what the next Shenanigan will look like, but I’m smart and Bunny… well, Bunny… has tiny eyes… so I’m sure we can figure something out and I’m sure it’ll be fabulous!”

Miss Bunny shared on her own Instagram, “Not even Covid-19 can stop our shenanigans. Though word of warning, due to some technical issues the sound was lost at my end and @pantibliss may have had to dub some things I said but honestly, you’d never notice.”

It’s great to see these stars engage in social distanced shenanigans, bringing hilarious lip-syncs and so much personality that social media has been left shook.

The Irish Drag King Collective

Irish drag kings and artists have been turning it out in monumental and thrilling ways all through lockdown. In celebration of World Earth Day, the Collective came together for a sensational music video.

Edited by the talented Mags Mulvey, Phil T Gorgeous and Slick O’ co-produced the music video. Alongside them, the lineup stars Stanley Knife, Julian Mandrews, Gringo O’Hara, Dr Count Evil, Enda Danite, Butch Chastity, Ben Panthera, Randy Cox, Miggledy Bubbles, and Dez Scrace.

Lip syncing to ‘Audacity of Huge’ by Simian Mobile Disco, there were puppets and backdrops galore. Phil T Gorgeous shared on Instagram, “So a few of us Irish kings got our shit together to take part in a global drag show!”

For any aspiring kings and performers out there, the Irish Drag King Collective welcomes them to join their Facebook group.

Dizzy Dying4it

Drag superstar Dizzy Dyin4it has brought back her stunning Pantibar Sunday Shenanigan’s DJ slot with ‘Dizzy’s Isolation Disco’ to keep the queer community dancing through lockdown. Every Sunday, she brings her best ’80s Disco tunes from 7-8 pm live from her bedroom.

And people are living for Dizzy’s Isolation Disco. One person shared, “You are playing a blinder Dizzy. Loving every track. Thank you for making confinement fun!!”

So channel the great spirit of disco flow during the lockdown and tune in to Dizzy’s Isolation Disco on Facebook here.

Bonnie Ann Clyde

On Wednesday, the In And Out Digital Festival welcomed the always amazing Drag and Draw, a one-of-a-kind life drawing class. The fabulous Bonnie Ann Clyde was the model and performer for this online session. She was joined by the immensely talented Ailbhe O’Conner, who lead the class.

What a show they brought with lip-syncs, fast-paced drawing exercises and audience interactions – unleashing the art with plenty of sass along the way.

Keep an eye on the Drag and Draw social media accounts for any more upcoming digital events.

Victoria Secret and Davina Devine

Paving the way for online content, the unstoppable duo Victoria Secret and Davina Devine have created pure magic with their Queens of Captivity pageant show. Every Thursday, up and coming drag artists compete for the crown and put on an incredible show.

Twitter has been flooded with praise for this groundbreaking competition that has everyone feeling uplifted during lockdown.

Victoria previously spoke about how the pageant came about, “We’ve lost spaces for drag queens to perform right now so myself and Davina have set about trying to do a different creative show for people every Thursday… mostly because we both miss drag so much but also we want to help break up everyone’s week and show them we can all still have fun together, but also by staying at home.”

Davina shared, “In these situations and climate now, it brings about the best in people, it brings about creativity, you have a lot of time to sit around and ponder. I’m curious to see what these b*tches are going to bring, so it should be good fun.”

People can support these legendary Irish drag artists by tuning in live on Thursday nights.

Davina Devine will also shake her buckets to raise money for Ireland’s Frontline Workers as part of a ‘Pick Me Up’ weekend created by www.IrelandThanksYou. Davina will host live Bingo from her home studio at 9 pm this Friday, 8th May to raise funds for the IrelandThanksYou.ie campaign.

Avoca Reaction

Dublin’s premier non-binary drag entity, Avoca Reaction, brought audiences a jaw-dropping evening of queer cabaret! Bringing together the sensational Coco Chanel No 5, drag king guru extraordinaire, Ben Panthera, and Donegal’s number one eucharistic minister, Marian Mary the 6th, this was an unforgettable event.

Avoca’s incredible talent has earned them a reigning spot among the Dublin drag scene. Combining comedy, looks, and incredible talent, they are truly a powerhouse of creativity.

You can check out their queer cabaret as part of In And Out Festival here:

Julian Mandrews

On Friday, May 15, the brilliant drag king and Eurovision superfan Julian Mandrews will be bringing audiences his Top Ten Queerovision Chart celebrating the most outrageous and fabulous LGBT+ highlights from the contest’s archives. Hosting the fabulous (and unmissable!) Digital Douze Points Party, he will be bringing the gayest night of the year into the world of  Zoom!

With special appearances by Ireland’s Eurovision entry, Lesley Roy, and a galaxy of drag talent – this will be one for the record books.

Poster for Eurovision party with a drag king and title Digital Douze Points Party

You can get your tickets online here. 

Lady Veda

A spell has been cast and the hexy has been brought back! Lady Veda continues to weave her magic in lockdown – from releasing stunning gloom-pop ballads to Witchy Wednesdays going live, she is clearly showing that her witchy ways ain’t going anywhere.

Anziety from SIS Nights 

Anziety made their name known throughout the Dublin drag scene with regular spots in The George particularly Withcy Wednesdays’ and is now making waves online. An icon in her own right, Anziety and the fabulous queens from SIS nights have been keeping us entertained in lockdown with their Insta live shows, Social SIStancing.

They also recently took on the make-up brush challenge and killed it!

Shirley Temple Bar

Shirley Temple Bar is serving Disney Princess realness in her new fairytale epic, Shirley Temple Bar is Cancelled. This hilarious adaptation of Tangled will have anyone howling with laughter and relating so hard to those lockdown feels.

On Twitter, Shirley shared, “It’s Sunday and I should be getting ready for my Bank Holiday Bingo Extravaganza at@TheGeorgeDublin with my gal pals and a cast of thousands. But I am not! Instead, I’ll choose my 9pm show start-time to premiere my short film Cancelled. Life Begins Soon!”

Paul Ryder

Drag performer Paul Ryder has been making waves during lockdown by helping support crucial causes such as the Cork Pride Aid Concert in support of LGBT Ireland. Now, this showstopper will be hosting Dublin Pride’s very first virtual Parade on Sunday, June 28 – and the excitement is real.

Every Wednesday, Ryder will also be bringing his Top 20 Chart Rundown over on Glitter Beam UK.

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Carrie Déway

Make way for the Haus Of Déway’s epic Locked Up extravaganza series on YouTube and Facebook. Bringing together numerous acts, this is a rollercoaster of talent and style. Carrie Déway features in the series, bringing along her drag daughters, sisters, and an array of special guests.

It is an absolute treat to see what this comedy sketch show has in store each week. Episode 1 is currently up on the Haus Of Déway’s social media platforms.

Nara Hope

Rising star among the Irish drag scene and founder of I’m Baby clubnight, Nara Hope has set up Queerona Time – a Drag Stream to bring together queer artists as a way of offering helpful tutorials and keeping the show going. On Instagram, she wrote, “Corona has meant that many gigs have been cancelled, leaving queer performers out of pocket. You will be able to access performances and tutorials from Queer artists around the world.”

This amazing initiative has helped create a strong sense of community and gives insightful looks into getting creative. Not only that, Nara has been adapting her club night, which has helped many baby drag artists showcase their talent, for an online platform. Keep an eye on I’m Baby’s socials for updates.

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