Confessions of a Drag Queen

This interview with Ricky Burjac provides an inside look into life as a drag performer, delving into personal histories, cultural contexts, and experiences in the drag and wider LGBTQ+ community. The conversation covers a range of topics, from societal perceptions and struggles with family acceptance to the vital role drag plays in personal empowerment and entertainment.

Burjac, originally from Brazil, discusses the unconventional journey of becoming a drag queen in New Zealand and the craft behind the art form. Through this autobiographical exploration, Burjac touches on the many facets of drag, from the theatricality and performance to the personal transformations and self-discoveries that accompany it. The performer highlights how drag intersects with various aspects of life, referencing experiences of coming out, family dynamics, and cultural influences.

Key moments in Burjac's life are recounted, such as realizing their sexuality, navigating early exposure to the gay community in Brazil, and the pivotal experiences after moving to New Zealand. The narrative is filled with anecdotes indicating the influence of popular culture, family dynamics, and societal pressures on a drag performer's life.

The interplay between Burjac’s personal life as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and their stage persona—known as Rhubarb—is examined. Aspects of Rhubarb's character, stage presence, and ability to command an audience are discussed as part of the performance identity. The discussion sheds light on the complexities of balancing a stage persona with one's off-stage life.

The account also addresses health concerns, often a significant issue in LGBTQ+ narratives, as Burjac talks about naive conceptions of HIV/AIDS in their youth, and the later personal impact of learning about their father's AIDS diagnosis.

Furthermore, the interview reveals the significance of theater and performance in advancing LGBTQ+ stories and creating dialogue in society. Burjac also talks about the broader cultural and social changes in both New Zealand and Brazil concerning the visibility and acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals and the role that media, particularly soap operas in Brazil, have had on public perceptions and attitudes.

The discussion provides insights into Burjac's take on the language used within the LGBTQ+ community, including the evolution of terms and identity markers. The artist notably stresses the positive reclamation of the term "gay," and how it serves as a broader descriptor for both the individual and the community.

Throughout the interview, themes of family support and rejection are interlaced, reflecting different generational attitudes toward being LGBTQ+ and performing drag, with a note on the mother's support both emotionally and practically in costume design. The contrast between the mother's open acceptance and the father's negative reaction encapsulates the varied responses individuals within the queer community might face.

Finally, the conversation pivots towards the development of Burjac's theatre piece, "Confessions of a Drag Queen." This stage performance draws from personal experiences and aims to reach a narrative that resonates with both the LGBTQ+ community and broader audiences. Burjac discusses the intent behind the performance, the creative process, and aspirations for future shows, including the desire to expand internationally and participate in festivals like the Gay Dublin Theatre Festival.

Overall, this interview provides a multifaceted perspective on what being a drag performer means to Burjac, set against the backdrop of cultural attitudes and personal experiences that define their journey and work within the performance arts.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

Ricky Burjac

2000s, 2010s, bats theatre, confessions of a drag queen, drag, gay, performance, ricky burjac, theatre, wellington

accident, acting, addiction, advice, auckland, audience, australia, bars, biography, boat, brazil, building, camp, catholicism, checklist, children, choice, church, closet, comedy, coming out, community, competition, connect, costumes, culture, dance, death, design, diary, difference, dog, dolls, drag queen, dream, drum drag, dublin, empowerment, escape, family, fashion, fear, feelings, french, friends, fun, glamour, god, growing up, hair, high heels, history, kissing, knowledge, korea, labels, language, lesbian, love, macho, madrid, makeup, marriage, melbourne, movies, music, musicals, new plymouth, normal, older people, opera, opportunity, other, painting, palmerston north, paris, people, persona, power, proposal, queen, queer, queer theatre, race, racism, reading, research, sailor, scene, school, sex, sexuality, shopping, silo, singing, soap, space, stereotypes, straight, struggle, stuff, subtext, suit, support, the closet, theatrical, time, top, tourism, transphobia, walking, wig, work, writing