Joyce Maynge: Popular in Sydney Her name is Joyce Maynge, she's from Sydney, and she describes herself as a "respectable housewife". Respectable? Punters who got a very 'close up and personal' look at her on the big screen when she appeared at Wellington's Imerst nightclub recently might think otherwise! Joyce's 'leaked' no-bedsheet-unruffled Paris Hilton-style film romp In Bed With Joyce will no doubt make its way across the Tasman again, as the clown-faced Mardi Gras star performs live in Christchurch's Cruz nightclub as part of it's Dynasty of Divas season on Saturday 13 October. "I'm so looking forward to my tour of Christchurch," says Maynge's alter ego Shane Pascoe. "I had such a good time in Wellington recently, so I was thrilled to be invited back." No stranger to New Zealand, Pascoe studied Japanese and Psychology at Massey University in Palmerston North a few years ago, before heading back to Sydney - the drag queen capital of the southern hemisphere. "I was also doing drama at Massey, so that was the catalyst to performing. And then when I came back to Australia then I created Joyce for a talent quest – she was born, and people liked the character instantly so I started getting bookings straight away," he says. Joyce has been a regular weekend feature on Sydney's Oxford Street for five years now. Joyce headlined at Imerst Along with elaborate shows with drag troupes and go-go dancing guys, Joyce is kept busy with a variety of other events - birthdays, corporate gigs, functions, random parties… you name it, Joyce is invited. "I do lots of weddings too," says Shane. "I hosted an Irish wedding a few weeks ago, which was a hoot. Instead of the wedding singer, they get Joyce! Then of course there are the big parties here, so I'll create a show. For example at a fetish party I had lots of various bodily fluids thrown over me – so that was very exciting, thanks to some Campbell's soup, chocolate mousse and orange juice." For Pascoe, drag is a dramatic storytelling adventure, using props and ideas from a wide variety of pop culture creations. "It's about telling a story," he explains, "and often in the Mardi Gras floats I've produced, it's political satire - a story that's had its roots in politics. "For example, in Australia, sniffer dogs go into parties and search patrons for stuff. They shut down huge dance parties because of drugs. So the first Mardi Gras Parade float I did was Constable Maynge and the Sniffer Dogs. I had all these sexy hot girls and boys dressed up as dogs, with furry shorts on, furry ears and faces painted. It was a mongrel motley group of dogs, all different breeds. And we strip-searched civilians. In bed with Joyce "Another float I did was the Incredigays, which came out just before the Incredibles movie. We had gay superheroes, fighting evil in the shape of John Howard, George Bush, Archbishop Howell and this hideous woman who was in charge of immigration, Amanda Vanstone – they were the villains." What's next for Joyce Maynge? Find out when she joins much-missed ex-Wellington highlight drag star Pollyfilla - on tour from Melbourne where she now resides - on stage at Christchurch's CRUZ nightclub on Saturday 13 October as part of their diva festival of new and favourite showgirls. Check GayNZ.com's event guide, or www.cruz.co.nz for more details. Matt Akersten - 7th October 2007