Who lives in Bushwick and knows how to put on a show? The Locally Grown Drag kids, that’s who! On Tuesday, March 12, at 11PM, Tandem will host the second series of Locally Grown Drag. And it’s FREE! Think of the Don Pedro’s Garbage Pail Kids crowd meets “The Walking Dead” meets burlesque.
The night will feature performances by Alotta McGriddles, Charmin Ultra, DiBa, Krystal Something-Something, Macy Rodman, Mary Jo CamelToe, Stevie Zar, and Whiskey Dixie – experts in public displays of cultivated craziness.
Bushwick-based performer, DiBa is curating the night with the help of Tandem staffers Will Myrick and Stephen Berg. The Locally Grown performers were chosen because of their ability to craft decisions and show the audience something they want to see, even if they don’t know it yet. These purposeful choices lead to playing with elements that are atypical for a drag show, such as virtuosic dance, video projection and fake blood. “They are making a statement instead of embodying Beyoncé” says DiBa. This statement equals a show where NOTHING is off limits.
Locally Grown is not your average dress-wearing, ballad-lip synching, transformation to Hell’s Kitchen bingo night. No. These performers are extravagant and mean to be. They are purposefully weird, awkwardly comedic, outlandish and vulgar. All the cool verbs. They want you to gawk as they push your comfort boundaries. And the transformation you feel yourself experiencing, well that may be the best part. You might find yourself saying, “Where has this show been all my life?” or simply “OMG!”
The first Locally Grown Drag last month included dub step sandwich-eating, cardboard cats, confetti, quesadilla toasting, Eminem…that’s just to name a few. The set will feature trained dancers from The Ohio State University and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. These slew of professionals drip blood and vomit cheese all over their high heels while executing technically driven performances.
With the help of “Ru Paul’s Drag Race,” drag has boomed. The acceptance in pop culture has allowed for crowds to say “Yes!” People who watch drag on television can seek it out in real life, easier than ever before. Now, the Locally Grown Drag performers are here to make it a little weirder. I asked DiBa to sum up Locally Grown Drag in three words. Her response:
Bootleg. Friendship-y/Erotica. Inebriated.
Locally Grown Drag starts at 11PM (drag queen time), and will have two sets with a 15-minute drink refill and smoke break.
