For the past six years more than 100 people from all walks of life have graduated from nine different cycles of the New Orleans Drag Workshop with its “Draguation” performance and ceremony, held at the AllWays Lounge & Cabaret in the Marigny on Monday, March 25, 2019.
Some men in the group dress up as drag queens, and though all different sexual orientations and genders may be queens, some women dress up as men also known as “drag kings”. The performers range from seasoned professionals trying out a new act to novices who have never performed in front of a live audience.
The head mister-ess of the weeks-long workshop is Vinsantos DeFonte, who also acts as the master of ceremonies for the event. Vinsantos and his coaches teach the draguates how to apply drag makeup, choose music and lip-sync, and to build a persona and stage presence. Vinsantos says the workshop “continues to inspire and nurture the truly adventurous in spirit and turn out sickening after sickening queen, kings and all things in between.”
For the past six years over 100 people from all walks of life have graduated from nine different cycles of the New Orleans Drag Workshop with its Draguation performance and ceremony that is held this year at the AllWays Lounge & Cabaret in the Marigny in New Orleans, Monday, March 25, 2019. Some men in the group dress up as Drag Queens, though all different sexual orientations and genders maybe Queens, while some women dress up as men also known as Drag Kings. The performers range from seasoned professionals trying out a new act to novices who have never performed in front of a live audience. The Head Mister-ess of the weeks long workshop is Vinsantos DeFonte, center, who also acts as the master of ceremonies for the event. Vinsantos and his coaches teach the draguates how to apply drag makeup, chose music and how to lip-sync, and build a persona and stage presence. Vinsantos says the workshop ‘continues to inspire and nurture the truly adventurous in spirit and turn out sickening after sickening queen, kings and all things in between.’ Photo by Matthew Hinton
For the past six years over 100 people from all walks of life have graduated from nine different cycles of the New Orleans Drag Workshop with its Draguation performance and ceremony that is held this year at the AllWays Lounge & Cabaret in the Marigny in New Orleans, Monday, March 25, 2019. Some men in the group dress up as Drag Queens, though all different sexual orientations and genders maybe Queens, while some women dress up as men also known as Drag Kings. The performers range from seasoned professionals trying out a new act to novices who have never performed in front of a live audience. The Head Mister-ess of the weeks long workshop is Vinsantos DeFonte, center, who also acts as the master of ceremonies for the event. Vinsantos and his coaches teach the draguates how to apply drag makeup, chose music and how to lip-sync, and build a persona and stage presence. Vinsantos says the workshop ‘continues to inspire and nurture the truly adventurous in spirit and turn out sickening after sickening queen, kings and all things in between.’ Photo by Matthew Hinton
Maryboy performs during the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Maryboy performs during the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Drag Queen FRESHA parodies The Black Eyed Peas song ‘My Humps’ with random humps popping out in odd places at the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Drag Queen Ant Zelda readies her claw gloves at the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Audience members applaud for Drag Queen Prytania Wrexx at the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Drag Queen Prytania Wrexx helps out Queen Mela Pelas at the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Audience members applaud for Drag Queen Prytania Wrexx at the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Prytania Wrexx runs practices at the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Drag King Nathan Lane Bryant performs at the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Prytania Wrexx, left, helps Maryboy apply hairspray to her wig next to Drag King Nathan Lane Bryant, right, at the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Drag Queen Amber Alert performs at the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Drag Queen Mela Pelas performs at the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Drag Queen Mela Pelas gets ready for the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Drag Queen Mela Pelas gets ready for the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Money for performers is collected at the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Drag Queen Saint Salome performs in the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Drag Queen Saint Salome performs in the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Drag King Gregory Pecker, left, gets help tying a tie from Drag Queen Saint Salome, right, before a performance of the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Drag King Gregory Pecker performs at the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Drag King Gregory Pecker tapes her breasts flat before a performance at the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Drag Queen Eve Octavia gets ready during the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
For the past six years over 100 people from all walks of life have graduated from nine different cycles of the New Orleans Drag Workshop with its Draguation performance and ceremony that is held this year at the AllWays Lounge & Cabaret in the Marigny in New Orleans, Monday, March 25, 2019.
For the past six years over 100 people from all walks of life have graduated from nine different cycles of the New Orleans Drag Workshop with its Draguation performance and ceremony that is held this year at the AllWays Lounge & Cabaret in the Marigny in New Orleans, Monday, March 25, 2019. Some men in the group dress up as Drag Queens, though all different sexual orientations and genders maybe Queens, while some women dress up as men also known as Drag Kings. The performers range from seasoned professionals trying out a new act to novices who have never performed in front of a live audience. The Head Mister-ess of the weeks long workshop is Vinsantos DeFonte, bottom left, who also acts as the master of ceremonies for the event. Vinsantos and his coaches teach the draguates how to apply drag makeup, chose music and how to lip-sync, and build a persona and stage presence. Vinsantos says the workshop ‘continues to inspire and nurture the truly adventurous in spirit and turn out sickening after sickening queen, kings and all things in between.’ Photo by Matthew Hinton
Maryboy performs during the New Orleans Drag Workshop’s Cycle 9 Draguation ceremony at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret in New Orleans, La. Monday, March 25, 2019. Photo by Matthew Hinton
Very Local is your best source for shows about local communities, bringing you 24/7 access to news from your trusted local news source, weather updates, and more. The Very Local app also brings you fresh, untold stories from your city and communities like yours, with exclusive original shows and local stories specific to where you live. Get the channel to stream Very Local free on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.
Mary Staes is Digital Content Lead for Very Local. She works with our freelancers and crafts content for our social media platforms and website. Before Very Local, she worked with CBS affiliate WWL-TV as a web producer and weekend assignment editor for about 4 years. She has also handled broadcast coverage for 160 Marine Reserve training facilities while she served as an active duty Marine. As a native New Orleanian, she takes being "very local" to heart. She loves being intertwined with the culture and figuring out how there are less than two degrees of separation between us all, whether we're natives or not.
