Bay Area Reporter :: Drag News

Drag shows aim to bolster downtown San Francisco

June 5, 2023

To kickoff Pride Month the downtown San Francisco German restaurant Schroeder's had turned a portion of its dining room into a performance area with a screened in dressing room.

SF drag 'Golden Girls' holiday shows to return

by Matthew S. Bajko
May 24, 2023

Since premiering in 2007 inside the parlor of a historic Victorian in San Francisco's Western Addition neighborhood, the drag stagings of beloved TV sitcom "The Golden Girls" have starred Heklina as the buttoned-up substitute teacher Dorothy Zbornak.

SF says goodbye to Heklina

by John Ferrannini
May 24, 2023

Thousands descended on San Francisco's Castro neighborhood May 23 for what one speaker called "a fucking state funeral for drag royalty," as friends and fans alike said goodbye to Heklina.

Nightclub owner Drollinger is 1st San Francisco drag laureate

by Matthew S. Bajko
May 18, 2023

Oasis nightclub owner D'Arcy Drollinger will serve as San Francisco's inaugural drag laureate.

SF's Castro readies for Heklina memorial

by John Ferrannini
May 17, 2023

San Francisco's Castro LGBTQ neighborhood is coming together to remember the groundbreaking drag queen Heklina at a celebration of life event Tuesday, May 23.

Katya Smirnoff-Skyy celebrates 18 Years at Martuni's

by Christopher J. Beale
May 16, 2023

J. Conrad Frank's character Katya Smirnoff-Skyy was custom-made for a specific reason: to host cabaret and sing live. This week Katya celebrates 18 years hosting Katya Presents at Martuni's piano bar, a passion project that became an institution.

Project Nunway: The Sisters' sartorial celebration returns

by Jim Provenzano
May 16, 2023

Holy haute couture! The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence's popular Project Nunway fashion show fundraiser returns May 26, and this time, the eleventh edition will be held in a former church, St. Joseph's Art Society.

$Fabulous & fractious: The Lavender Tube on drag queens, death cleans, and CNN's careen$

Fabulous & fractious: The Lavender Tube on drag queens, death cleans, and CNN's careen

by Victoria A. Brownworth
May 16, 2023

With the GOP passing anti-LGBTQ laws every week and taking a stronger stand against queer and trans people existing than against sedition, watching drag feels like a revolutionary act. So watch we shall!

Requiem for a Drag Queen

by Michael Yamashita | NewsIsOut.com
May 12, 2023

The New York Times obituary for Barry Humphries extolled the life and career of a beloved actor of stage, screen, and television. You could be forgiven if you didn't recognize his name, but surely not if you did not recognize his alter ego.

Oaklash is Back: festival of drag and queer performance returns

by David-Elijah Nahmod
May 9, 2023

Founded in 2018 by Mama Celeste and Beatrix LaHaine, Oaklash is a celebration of drag and queer culture that takes place primarily in Oakland. But it's more than just a drag show.

News Briefs: MORE!, Roma to headline benefit for mental health

by Cynthia Laird
May 3, 2023

Drag artists Juanita MORE! and Sister Roma will co-host "Truth in Pink," a benefit for Queer LifeSpace that takes place Saturday, May 20, from noon to 6:30 p.m. at The Terrace at 620 Jones Street in San Francisco.

Plans for expanded Heklina memorial unveiled

by Cynthia Laird
Apr 28, 2023

Due to overwhelming demand, organizers of the upcoming memorial for drag icon Heklina have announced that San Francisco's Castro Street will be closed Tuesday, May 23, and the service projected onto screens outside so that more people can watch it.

Craig Seligman's astonishing 'Who Does That Bitch Think She Is? Doris Fish and the Rise of Drag'

by Michael Flanagan
Apr 18, 2023

Doris Fish was everywhere in the 1980s. It seemed if she didn't exist someone would have had to invent her. Craig Seligman's "Who Does That Bitch Think She Is? Doris Fish and the Rise of Drag" reminds us that someone did. That someone was Philip Mills.

Fenton Bailey's 'ScreenAge' - World of Wonder producer's pop culture inspirations in new book

by Brian Bromberger
Apr 18, 2023

Fenton Bailey's 'ScreenAge: How TV Shaped Our Reality From Tammy Faye to RuPaul's Drag Race' consists of three interweaving sections: personal memoir, the role of television in our lives, and the impact of queer pop culture.

Heklina to be inducted on LGBTQ Wall of Honor

by Cynthia Laird
Apr 11, 2023

The late drag artist Heklina will be inducted onto the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor at the Stonewall Inn in New York City in June, according to Nicole Murray Ramirez, a Latino drag queen and community leader.

BARtab :: Drag