Doc drags up the past
A documentary exploring Cork’s drag history will be virtually launched next month.
‘Dragging up the Past’ will show the colourful history of drag in Cork using interviews and archival footage.
Directed by former CIT Digital Media student Robin Guiton and produced by MTU Cork LGBT* Society, filming for ‘Dragging Up The Past’ began in January 2020 and features interviews with Cork’s beloved queens Fabula Di Beaumarchais, Kitty Cartier, Twiggy Moondust, Candy Warhol, Letycha Le’Synn, Mia Gold, Nettles, Liam Bee, Dakota Mode, Will A Blige, Alternative Miss Cork Director Eddie Kay, Ireland's youngest drag queen Karma O’Hara, as well as information and footage about Cork’s own, Danny La Rue.
Born in Cork in 1927, La Rue went on to become one of the highest paid performers on British television in the 1960s and '70s and was also awarded an OBE from Queen Elizabeth in 2002. La Rue returned to Cork in 1984 when he sold out the Cork Opera House with several performances, and again in February 2005 for another sold out series ‘Danny Comes Home’ in the Everyman Theatre.
Project Coordinator Konrad Im said: “We were absolutely gutted having to postpone the launch which was planned for April last year, but the lockdown afforded us a chance to put more work into the footage and to record more interviews. “LGBT+ history has been something that was hidden in the shadows or completely erased in the past, so it’s important for projects like this and the fantastic Cork LGBT Archive to be supported. We’re excited to finally release the documentary to the public, and proud to be in a position to record the history of drag in Cork for future generations.”
The documentary will be launched online on 12 February with a virtual Q&A session featuring the film makers and some of the drag stars. The Queen of Ireland Panti Bliss will join a Q&A. Also joining in will be Richard Guy Mawbey, West End and Broadway makeup and wig designer, and close friend, makeup artist, and assistant to Danny La Rue.
Tickets for the documentary launch and Q&A session are available for free from eventbrite.ie. While the event is free, it had always planned to raise funds for the Gay Project and anyone in a position to has been asked to donate at gayproject.ie.