They鈥檙e sparkly, colourful, and arrive with your favourite books. It makes perfect sense that drag queens reading stories to a roomful of children has become such a beloved event in Vancouver.
Storytelling With Drag Queens first started last May with a show for adults. Since then, there have been six events (for both kids and adults) in which a few drag queens pick their favourite stories and read them outloud to an audience.
Candie Tanaka, executive director of the International Centre of Arts and Technology, puts on the show. Tanaka produces and organizes the show, as well as picks out venues and hosts each event.
Tanaka first had the idea for Storytelling With Drag Queens when they read about a similar event for in New York.
鈥淚 thought it would be a fun thing to do here, so I contacted a drag queen who I knew in 麻豆传媒映画[Oliv X] and I pitched it to her,鈥� they said.
鈥淪he was very interested in anything that helps out with literacy, so she contacted a couple of her drag queen friends ... then we did the first show for adults to give it a bit of a twist.鈥�
When the adult event proved popular, people started asking if there was going to be a kids version.
鈥淓ven parents with babies were excited about it, we had such an age range. A lot of parents wanted to expose their kids early to gender diversity and stuff like that,鈥� Tanaka said. 鈥淎nd the kids just love looking at drag queens because they鈥檙e always so fun and sparkly, engaging and warm.鈥�
The event has been held at Cafe Deux Soleils, Cottage Bistro, the Burnaby Public Library, the Downtown Eastside Women鈥檚 Centre and the United Church of Canada, and usually attracts between 50 and 100 people, sometimes more.
鈥淎s the word gets out, it鈥檚 becoming more popular,鈥� Tanaka said. The events are entirely self-funded, with donations collected at the door, but Tanaka is hoping to organize some funding or partnerships so it can keep growing.
鈥淭he support has been amazing. The kids and parents love it,鈥� they said.
One of the performers recruited by Oliv was Karmella Barr, who was interested in the event because of her plans to become a teacher.
鈥淚 was trying to think of ways that would be fun and unique for me to get experience with kids,鈥� Barr said. 鈥淚 thought, 鈥榃ell, I love to do drag and I also like children,鈥� so I felt like I got to mix both of my passions.鈥澛�
Barr, who has been collecting a wide selection of children鈥檚 books for her future classroom, says she selects books she feels have a good message, or explain diversity in an interesting way.
鈥淚 would try to do one 鈥榗hild鈥檚 book鈥� and one that I really enjoy. Like, I did The Boy in the Dress and Book of Negroes for the adult one. Then for the child鈥檚 one, I did I Have To Go by Robert Munsch, and It鈥檚 Okay To Be Different by Todd Parr.鈥�
One thing Barr believes makes the event such a success is how enamoured children are with drag queens.
鈥淲e鈥檙e wearing glitter and sequins so we鈥檙e really shiny and glitzy. You have lots of kids pawing at you, so you just have to set up some boundaries,鈥� she says with a laugh. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 fine, they鈥檙e great and I have no problem establishing boundaries when necessary.鈥�
She recalls when Oliv was wearing a huge gown with tulle underneath, and the kids started playing under it as if it was a circus tent. 鈥淪he was like, 鈥榃ell, OK, hang out down there I guess!鈥欌��
Barr thinks the event is a great way for people to get literature in their lives, and also show kids different ways people express themselves.
鈥淚t鈥檚 awesome to have a platform where literally all you鈥檙e doing is reading. You鈥檙e not preaching anything in any way, it鈥檚 about literature and interactions with children. I think it鈥檚 a really authentic moment, which is necessary for the queens as well as the kids,鈥� she said.
鈥⒙燯pcoming events: Storytelling with Drag Queens for kids Nov. 26, Cottage Bistro . Storytelling with Drag Queens for adults Nov. 29, Cafe Deux Soleils.聽
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