Local Drag Queens teach weekly workshops at Forth

BY ALEXANDER NGUYEN

Drag Queens Lita Takeela (left) and Lady Quinnzarr organized the second class of the Drag Boot Camp series, focusing on eye makeup./ALEX NGUYEN

Winnipeg drag queen Lita Takeela opened her reusable bag on Thursday, Sept. 27 at Forth and pulled out a box filled with over fifty 301 false eyelashes – must-haves for any aspiring drag queen – for students of Drag Boot Camp to use.

 

“Is that a bobby pin? Nope. It’s garbage,” said Lita Takeela searching her hair.

 

Between Sept. 20 and Nov. 8, Lita Takeela and three other local drag queens are sharing their years of experience with the public in a workshop series, designed for both newcomers and experienced drag performers. Each of the eight workshops will focus on different aspects of drag, including makeup, choreography, costuming and stage fighting.

Lita Takeela is about to put the heavy 301 lashes on her friend, Darren Friesen. “This is the first time he’s actually looking pretty,” said Lita Takeela./ALEX NGUYEN

Forth chose from the drag queens’ different proposals and helped to create events that appeals to a wider group. The Sept. 27 workshop, hosted by Lita Takeela and fellow drag queen Lady Quinnzarr, was focused on drag eye makeup.

 

Lady Quinzzarr wiped her makeup off and used tiny scissors to cut off what remained of her eyebrows before she started to teach the class.

 

“Do what you love and practice, practice, practice, and practice some more,” said Lady Quinzzarr. “Pick something and don’t overwhelm yourself.”

Lady Quinnzarr teaches students how to make their eye makeup more dramatic. “Think of it as a blank canvas to paint on,” said Lady Quinnzarr. “The most important thing is there are no rules.”/ALEX NGUYEN

Eight people attended the workshop. Six were from DRESS, a queer youth mentorship program based out of Seven Oaks School Division.

 

Thomas Hanan, 22, a Theatre and Film student from the University of Winnipeg, attended the Drag Boot Camp as well. He has been following the Winnipeg drag scene since the summer of 2017.

 

“I can’t wait for [drag] to continue to grow and maybe drag artists will be able to financially support themselves with their art,” said Hanan. “More and more people in the city are getting more interested in drag.”

 

Foxy Lamour, Lita Takeela’s partner and a fellow drag queen, came to help students hide their eyebrows with glue sticks and makeup. She helped Hanan get the basis of eye makeup.

 

“Everyone in the group was having an amazing time and all left smiling, laughing, and taking many, many pictures,” said Hanan.

Foxy Lamour stepped in to help the other drag queens. She glued eyebrows down for Thomas Hanan and did one of his eyes./ALEX NGUYEN

Lita Takeela and Lady Quinnzarr taught the basics of how to block eyebrows and eye makeup.

 

Lady Quinzzaar said she wished she had something like this when she first started. It would have helped her with her first year of drag.

 

“Best advice for drag? Come out, come out, wherever you are,” said Lita Takeela. “Do whatever you’re comfortable with. Reach out to different drag queens; the majority of them are nice.”

 

The next Drag Boot Camp is Capes, Cosplay, Cheap Drag on Thursday, Oct. 11 with Lady Quinzzarr and Prairie Sky.