Nine competitors will strut their stuff on the catwalk in a bid to become Nottingham's next drag superstar. They will also have to give an original stage performance and compete in a lip-sync smackdown for the crown at the Nottingham Drag Pageant on Friday, June 30.
Following on from last year’s event, which took place at Nottingham Castle prior to its closure, the pageant has found a new home in Hockley at the Nottingham Arts Theatre, in George Street. The show, which happens during Pride month and ahead of Nottingham Pride at the end of July, will be hosted by Liv and Moth.
They hand-picked the competitors for the pageant from a highly popular online casting call - each with a unique take on what drag should be. They include Lujane Oud, the first Kuwaiti-Moroccan drag queen to take to the Nottingham stage, who works as a molecular and global health scientist.
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Hunter Gatherer, who competed last year, is a nonbinary drag artist who enjoys blending genders. They moved from Nottingham to London to study theatre, and recently performed at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern with legendary drag king, Frankie Sinatra.
Last year's runner-up is back. Vayne, Nottingham’s drag supermodel, is known for jumping into the splits off the tables at Revolution Hockley where she is a resident performer.
Judges Marilyn Sane, Nana Arthole, Susie Nova and Una Versa will score competitors on their on their performances and costumes, before the top four highest-scoring performers will battle it out in a lip-sync smackdown.
The Nottingham Drag Pageant takes the entertainment values of popular TV shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race and the traditional American drag pageant system but removes the exclusivity, creating an inclusive competition for artists of all drag styles, genders, ethnicities and abilities.
Doors for the show will open at 7pm, with the pageant kicking off at 7.30pm. Tickets (£15 with concessions) are available from the Nottingham Arts Theatre website or by calling the box office on 0115 947 6096.
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