Wellington's Drag Scene – A Photo Essay

Introducing Lynn D'hour, Bunny Holiday, Tess Tosterone, Mike Litoris and more!

 

 

Though the culture and politics of drag is an ever evolving and fascinating subject, ultimately it is the performance, aesthetic and spectacle of drag that have led to its success and significance.
 
As such, we wanted to show off the broad range of incredible styles and approaches NZ drag performers have to offer. This is just a small selection of the drag talent in Wellington, and an even smaller slice of the drag talent throughout New Zealand. But, these performers demonstrate the amazing craft, talent and creativity that NZ drag performers hold.
 

Lynn D'hour is a fashion queen, and is one fourth of the vogue group, “The Haus of Sin”. She is a sporty, party girl, who is just a little trashy. She says her overall aesthetic is inspired by the Shore girls she grew up with – but this outfit is an homage to Lydia Koh, “the best sportsperson NZ has ever had”.
 
Go to lip-sync song: Maneater by Nelly Furtado
 

Angel Ace is also a member of vogue group “Haus of Sin” – their drag is very modern, couture and androgynous. They want their drag to make people “question what they are seeing”.
 

Angel Ace has been doing drag for about a year and was first introduced to the scene by Wellington queen Claire Voyant.
 

Here they are doing their best Grace Jones impression.
 
Go to lip-sync song: Mary Jane Holland by Lady Gaga
 

Harlie Lux is the reigning MX capital drag and is renowned throughout the drag scene for her skill with wigs.
 
Go to lip-sync: Tainted Love by Marilyn Manson
 

 

Scarlett Adams says her drag persona is “the pretty girl who pulls the funny faces”. Scarlett says she got into drag because women’s fashion is so much more interesting to experiment with.
 
Go to lip-sync song: Whip It by Nicki Minaj
 

 

Bunny Holiday says she is the socialite that never happened – “Wellington’s Lindsay Lohan”. Her drag is if there was a Barbie made of the mean girl at your school. Today’s outfit is brought to you by the letter ‘C’ for Cher from Clueless. 

Go to lip-sync song: I Don’t Want It at All by Kim Petras

Harlie is drag mother to both Bunny and Scarlett – they are “Harlie’s Angels”.
 

LaQuisha St. Redfern is capital drag royalty, having been part of the scene for almost two decades.
 

Laquisha is known for her gender-bending drag aesthetic, and sci-fi inspired performance style.
 
Go to lip-sync song: I am Woman by Helen Reddy
 

Tess Tosterone is the drag persona of trans man Adrian Renor. Their drag persona is an anarchist, “feminist as hell”, woman in combat boots.
 
Go to lip-sync song: Runs in the Family by Amanda Palmer
 

Mike Litoris is an 80’s inspired drag king who is fabulous, glittery, gay and chunky.
 
Go to lip-sync: You Spin Me Right Round (Like a Record) by Dead or Alive (performed while swinging a strap-on round and round)
 

Mike and Tess are in a polyamorous relationship, their third partner is a man named Bernie – who does not do drag.
 

Eddie Versatile is gender-bending drag king, whose performance is flamboyant, camp and wacky.
 
Go to lip-sync: My Humps by The Black Eyed Peas (Performed while dressed as a camel)
 

Nate is a drag king who is suave, sexy and smooth. “The ladies love Nate”, says Nate.
 

Nate is part of the comedy act of comedian Molly Sokhom. Nate has a napoleon complex, Molly says, but he is really a teddy bear.
 
Go to lip-sync song: A mix-up of Bruno Mars, T-Pain and some sweet R&B.
 

Hugo Grrrl is the reigning drag king in NZ, having won the King of King’s competition last year. He is also the producer of much of Wellington’s drag content.
 

Grrrl’s costume was made by Genelle Eaglen and Rachel Rouge of the Menagerie.
 
Go to lip-sync: Feeling Good by Michael Buble.
 

The NZ drag kings are very close. They collaborate in performance and workshops in order to bolster and continue to grow their community.
 

Constance Craving is a same-gender drag queen, often referred to as bio queens, lady queens and hyper queens.
 

Constance has a background in emceeing burlesque and cabaret shows. Her drag forte is singing songs with original comedic lyrics.
 
Go to lip-sync: Dr. Longjohn from Burlesque.
 

A diverse, talented and fierce selection of Capital drag performers. 
 
If you have enjoyed our articles on drag culture this week, make sure you get out to the amazing shows NZ drag performers are putting on every week.
 
There is a huge spike in interest in drag right now due to RuPaul’s Drag Race and Instagram queens. 

But it is often said that the difference between a Drag Race fan and a drag fan, is that the latter gets up off the couch to support their local scene.