Genesis Gives Melbourne Drag Kings & Things A Chance To Shine

After too long spent being misunderstood and misrepresented, drag kings are finally taking their turn in the spotlight at the biggest all-king showcase Melbourne has seen in almost ten years.

Starting in August 2024, Genesis began as a monthly community event for drag kings and drag things – that is, gender non-conforming performers- something that’s been desperately needed.

It emerged out of necessity to support drag performers who aren’t queens, who often have less access to resources, to the experience and expertise of community elders, and to stages to perform on.

“Melbourne has had a particularly difficult time in ensuring the longevity of our regular dedicated drag king shows, and in turn, the longevity of our performers,” said Genesis producer, Randy Roy. “In the last eight or so years we’ve cycled through Royale at Vau D’Vile, Kingdom at the 86 bar, and Packer’s Playhouse at UBQ, all of which had a run of about a year or two.

“At the time I started Genesis, we didn’t have any regular king shows at all, which also meant no regular spaces for drag kings to gather.”

Soon, the space evolved beyond just regular shows, becoming a haven of support and freedom for performers who were marginalised even within the queer community.

“Genesis is a drag show, yes, but more so than that it’s a community support network, because I’m sick of losing drag kings to what can be a really difficult industry to navigate,” said Roy.

“Anyone who’s performed at Genesis has remarked about how supportive and welcoming the audience is, and how ready every person is to jump up and lend a hand, whatever you need. There’s a real understanding that we’re here to look after each other, and that building community is a much better strategy to ensure longevity and visibility as performers, rather than individually vying for spots on the stage.”

A stage for untold stories

Now, they’re putting on an end of year spectacular.

Held on December 7, the Genesis Drag King Megashow will bring performers out into a bigger stage, to a wider audience, spotlighting drag performers who are trans, gender non-conforming, BIPOC, fat, and disabled.

The night will be split into an earlier lineup of “up and coming” performers, who came to drag through Genesis, or have been mentored and supported by the event. Then, the Genesis regulars take to the stage: established drag kings and things who have had a crucial hand in keeping the scene alive with their explorations of all things masculine and gender-bending.

“Drag to me is an outward expression of queerness, and the beautiful thing about that is that there are as many ways to be queer as there are people,” said Roy. “So many untold stories make their way onto the stage at Genesis from people who finally have the support and the space they need to tell them.

“My hope with putting the Genesis performers on a bigger stage is to bring some of those stories outside of our bubble, to show the rest of the drag world what we can do, and hopefully draw attention back to the kings and things.”

The Genesis Drag King Megashow will be held on 7 December, 8pm (with sets at 8:30, 9:30, 10:30) at Howler, 7-11 Dawson St, Brunswick. Tickets available now.