COMING TO PRISM

I am so happy to see some new and tenured faces finally coming back to my shows.. And to be doing a show with a performer I respect so very much.. please try to come down (you might learn a few things) Aliyah Ice and Jakyllyn Hyde perform together with Drag King extraordinaire Toby Pierce McCrotch December 2nd at PRISM LOUNGE.. I'll let you know how things work out maybe a little behind the scenes action..
for now... Who Loves Jakyllyn Hyde?

oh yeah.. I loves me some Toby Pierce-McCrotch

D.R.A.G. 101- Stage Presence (cont)

3) REMAIN TACTFUL!
Being catty is different than being a bitch!

Keeping control and being tactful is a difficult balance we all struggle with even after years in the industry. We all have times we go too far, but being bitchy is totally different than being a bitch! Beginners feel for some reason that being in drag affords them a right to be a bitch “Its my character!”. NO this IS CHARACTER but is not A CHARACTER. This plays back to professionalism, we are in the business of revenue, upsetting audience members does not pay off. the Bitchiness in a playful sense is something people do expect from most Drag Queens and in light doses is expectable, cattiness; This is playful banter to lighten the mood or point out a humorous situation. Being a bitch, directly, and voicing every opinion is extremely hurtful to you in the beginning when people do not know you and can not tell the difference between banter and truly hurtful remarks. No one should ever get hurt.

"quotable quotes"

"Why am I so good at playing bitches? I think it's because I'm not a bitch. Maybe that's why Miss Crawford always plays ladies."

-Bette Davis on Joan Crawford

D.R.A.G. 101- Stage Presence (cont)

2) WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE A FAN BASE.
A lot of new performers see seasoned professionals doing outrageous stunts and think its OK. You are still a stranger to an audience, respect there space.

Performance is always a difficult judgment call, if you know that there is an audience sitting along the sidelines close to the stage use them to your advantage. People are coming to be entertained incorporate the audience get them involved in the show, but until you have a reputation and a fan base don’t indulge in their drinks or feel them up; you are still a stranger to this audience respect that for right now, it pays in the long run.
A lot of new performers see seasoned professionals who have a fan base doing outrageous stunts and think its OK. Once you have that fan base feel free to use whatever you want to keep them coming back if this means drinking their jug of beer during a musical interlude go ahead, just remember you should probably have it replaced by the time the show is over.

ready or not here comes mamma

Last night was a spectacular night to be at Prism lounge, my mom even made an appearance. I preformed a flawless Ready or Not Show and even squeezed in time for a few requests.. I love performing for an attentive crowd and last night was a pure pleasure, though only a small audience you were completely in the moment with me, Thank You... For those who have never been to a READY or NOT show, (what the hell are you thinking) its a perfect combination of wit, lip sync and pure improvisation, twenty drag numbers are placed into a box, randomly through out the hour long show numbers are selected and without rehearsal I am forced to preform the song. Honestly these are my favorites, I love the interaction with the audience and everyone loves to see drag queens squirm... It has been a long time since my mom has attended my shows and it really is a sign I know we are on the right track.

In other news I am looking for new talents, I would love to put some new girls in there first real show, I have the time and dedication to make you flawless. email me for details. hyde_n_outt(at)shaw(dot)ca (i don't add email to blog posts as crawlers will send me stuff i don't need)

D.R.A.G. 101- Stage Presence

There are two types of shows if you succeed you will have opportunity to participate in, amateur and professional productions. We aren’t stressing perfection, but professionalism and thought. An “amateur show” is not a bad thing, and will be a right of passage for most performers, however this term implies we are not being paid, as drag queens we all do free shows for experience. Simply put we believe that if we are being paid we have a duty to professionalism and if you follow the D.R.A.G. 101 guidelines you will have a step up and will exit as professionals. If you are to succeed there are a few things we must cover first, the next few posts will be dedicated to these rules. try to follow and you will find an industry filled with potential..

1) AUDIENCES COME TO SEE PROFESSIONAL SHOWS.

The first key to achieving stage presence is understanding your purpose as a performer. We talk a lot about professionalism and duty of character. Your audience is your customer, they pay the bills. In most cases you will be performing at bars and night clubs in these cases the more they drink the more you get paid, directly by percentage or by draw and demand. Upset the audience, make them leave and you may not be asked back. The worst thing you can do as a performer is appear out of control, even though we are encouraging others to drink you MUST know your personal limit. Do not drink before the show if at all possible and only accept drinks or shooters on stage if it is understood as part of a “tip”, NEVER refuse these offers take a sip thank the customer and place the offer beside the stage to drink sociably after the show. I make it a point not to drink at all before a big show because these “tips” are very common place and it is easy to go overboard quickly.

D.R.A.G. 101 - Verbal Illusion

The term ‘Lip sync’ is by now more than synonymous with the art of drag performance. However, as with all art, an artist must evolve beyond the standard to demonstrate true talent, humor and emotion to be taken seriously. Our job as drag queens of the world will be to take a look at your aptitude and apply your talents to the success of your performance we should be able to locate and demonstrate expression without the use of spoken word. There is no science to being on a stage; yet by using our best judgment to differentiate between what works and what doesn’t, we are better able to understand how the stage works to reflect our best assets. People ask why I call Drag "lip sync" Verbal Illusion? Think about it this way:

il·lu·sion (ĭ-lū'zhən) noun: a distortion of a sensory perception.

Verbal Illusion is the art of matching and conveying emotion and indignation, in your face and body, which will match the vocal lyrics and expression of the “original artist”. Each of the human senses can be deceived by illusions, but visual illusions are the visual and auditory illusions are most common. In Verbal Illusion I have combined both Auditory and Visual illusion. We do not perform lip sync, due to the stigma attached to its referral being loose and sloppy mime of actual events. A true Drag Queen is able to convey that an audio or sound clip is functioning fluidly through them and hence a visual and verbal illusion. No matter how long you rehearse or how many songs you can memorize, it’s the emotion you are able to convey behind the words which makes up the art of Verbal Illusion.

a question for us all

In 2006 I became Ms Gay Vancouver Island X, I did so with a determination to change the GLBT community for the better, I knew that in this age of easy solutions the pageant and title were more than a pretty tiara and sash, it was a responsibility to a whole community, one on the verge of dissolve:
The weeks following June 28th 1969 the world would be forced to change it's outward view of the Gay and Lesbian community due to an act of bravery known as the Stone Wall riots. Only little more than ten years after the original riots, in the early eighties, by our own ignorance and the ignorance of our global governments to take action, we allowed an epidemic to strike down our community and threaten the work, everything we had fought so hard to create. By 1989 AIDS had touched our communities on a global level, yet instead of simply allowing our communities to die we stood up, we fought, we took action, we educated and through adversity and grief we came together, survived and grew. We are again in danger this time not only by political oppression or increase in viral cases but by our own lack of education.
With so little positive education and so many options available online, without leaving your home, from impersonal ineffective counseling and chat, to gay cruise-lines, internet porn and virtual relationship, we most of all are suffering from the "information nations" delusions of our community. We are forced to question: Will this strengthen or threaten our community? Does this render the process of coming-out unnecessary? What is your opinion? Let me know

born to be

Similar to the African American and Jewish communities we too have a rich history oppression, endurance and success, yet our history can not be simply handed down from mother to daughter, Father to son. Our Community is one we are not born into but is built; we are responsible for it's legacy. As a gay man first and a Drag Queen second I understand the importance of support, a feeling of self and community. Today in a world filled with images of what "gay lifestyle" and presumptions of actions it’s easy to lose sight of ones own identity and a history we will soon forget. I believe we have lost our focus, we have more Pride parades now than ever before in communities with little more connection to the community than one celebration a year and we are finding higher promotions paying out Pride functions, aiming them toward corporate sponsorship and away from community based participation. People don’t feel they need to contribute. Pride Week is important, but more importantly I feel we should use this platform for a true intention, education of history and of current battles and bring a community driven apart back together.

why i do it?

Hey guys, a lot of you may be wondering why I have choosen to create a blog, and why I am posting tips for drag that may limit my audience. I know and love a lot of the veiwers that already tune into my fanclub facebook site, but i know what i is like to be a new performer in this industry.
When I started doing drag in Edmonton the winter of 2000 (seven years ago) I was tremendously lucky to have a firm support team including my brother (then a seasoned queen in the community) Eden, GoDiva, the soon to be Mia Fellow, Sassy Ass and Neta. I lucked out getting the support I got, however most new performers interested in getting into the scene are left to sink or swim. This is driven by the fear that with too many drag queens coming in and not enough space to keep them all well oiled in money, an apprentice may in all likelyhood steal ones booking. these are realistic assumptions however I believe that the more preformers that get into the community the larger our voice and the stronger our impact to keep a dying art alive. I post tips and trade sectrets that will help to keep our community alive well into the next generation.. Use them to benefit and love eachother.

Until next time, Who Loves Jakyllyn Hyde? Kisses

What the Heck is D.R.A.G. 101?

The hyde n’OUTT productions basics of drag are broken down into Four Main Principles: Dramatization, Reputation, Appearance and Guise. These Principles are further broken down into subcategories covering the scope of required information. By following these simple guidelines you too can become a well respected and talent driven preformer (in all aspects of entertainment).

DRAMATIZATION we learn about Verbal Illusion, Stage Presence, picking the Perfect Number, Practice Tecniques, and Preformance guidelines.

REPUTATION is souly focused on Attitude and Integrity of Character (in general a bitch does not get booked)

APPEARANCE is the longest section and focuses on the Art of Drag. Shopping, Grooming, the purpose Make-ups, Getting a Canvas and only then Make-up Application.

GUISE is dedicated to findiong and using a costume from Foundation Garments and Full Wardrobe, to Heels, Wigs and Final Touches.

I'm not just a pretty face you know.. these aspects all combine to create D.R.A.G. 101
(you can use the post labels to find future posts about any of the Principles)

shooters and hooters show

Hey Guys and Gals, for those of you who were at Prism Lounge last Sunday. Electra Socket and I had a great time and I wanted to personally thank you for the pleasent messages. I truly love all of you, we had a great turn out and the energy was piping hot.. Electra is on her own next week and the highly anticipated Variety show of Pat McCrotch debuts November 25th..I expect you all down in support and I will be back the second Sunday in December, the 9th, and possibly a great Christmas "Ho Ho Whoe Show" December 23rd starring Jaky, Electra, Aurora Laughter, Pat McCrotch, and so many more... Meet up with you then.
Until further notice...Who Loves Jakyllyn Hyde? kisses

D.R.A.G.101- introduction

I would like to start by including FREE information from my introductory D.R.A.G. 101 material "How to Succeed in my Shoes Without Even Trying" only for my blog members. This will be an ongoing installment and any questions may be sent to the email address included. hyde_n_outt(at)shaw(dot)ca

"OK BUT HOW DO I START?"
The first step for anyone considering drag is to set up a budget, it won’t be cheap to start and it doesn’t get any cheaper to maintain, you will need to determine a budget for, Hair, Make-up, Clothing, Undergarments, Shoes, and of course Accessories. We have compiled an appendix list of necessities, and the costs involved by undertaking drag as a hobby or career.(monetary breakdown included in guide if requested) As always this list is complied of rough costs for our local area and district, this never means that you won’t find cheaper products on the Internet or in your area. Go shopping.


WHAT YOU NEED:
Razor
Tweezers
Make-up
Spirit Gum
Eyebrow Wax
Sealer
Foundation
Translucent Loose Powder
Eyebrow Pencil
Black Eye shadow
White Eye shadow
Brown Eye shadow
Color Pallet Eye shadow
Eyeliner
Contouring
Blush
Lip Liner
Lipstick
Lip Brush
Beveled Brush
Blush Brush
Contour Brush
Liner Brush
Eyelashes
Eyelash adhesive
Mascara
Hair
Wig/Hair piece
Shoes
Shoes
Costume
Outfit
Undergarments
Pantyhose
Foundation Garments (corsets/ body shapers)
Bra
T-Bar
Girl Panties
Accessories
Jewelry

What is DRAG?

Honestly I told myself this would be the first post I would make as it seems even in our own community ALOT of people are still bit confused.

Many confuse the term Drag Queen with Transgender, Transsexual, or Transvestism. While all listed are realistic assumptions to the uninformed the former three represent very serious aspects of a sexual and genetic field. You must first understand what a drag queen is not.
"What is a Drag Queen?" This is the most common question asked of DRAG performers, the difference between Drag and Transgender. The simplest form of a much longer explanation is that drag is typically the art of performing or appearing as the opposite gender, or “Gender Illusion”. Although not every Drag Queen is a performer, we have a much broader term for people who dress as the opposite gender as a lifestyle; these people are referenced to as transgender. Those transgender individuals who choose to go through sexual reasignment surgery to become the "opposite", their true gender, are referred to as transsexual (post and pre operation). There are individuals, generally Heterosexual who dress as the opposite gender simply for personal or sexual pleasure, this is where the term transvestite come in. There are many different reference points for these discussions however in this forum we will be focusing on the art of DRAG, more specifically men transforming into women for performance purposes DRAG QUEENS.
The term ‘DRAG’ originated through the Elizabethan era, around the end of the sixteenth century, when women were prohibited from appearing in theatre. William Shakespeare who would write in the margins ‘DR.A.G’ next to the name of the male cast member appearing as female, stating simply this character as appearing “DRess As Girl.” Since this time we have come to describe any man dressing as a woman on stage to be in “DRAG”. The term Drag King, a woman who appears dressed as a man, came much later closer to the late twentieth century and supposedly there was a term “DRAB” referring to “dressed as boy” that never caught on, I wonder why?

Welcome

Welcome to A Wickedmirror, the official hot spot weblog of Hyde n'OUTT Productions and Victorias one and only Princess of Plump Jakyllyn Hyde.
This blog was started as a resource to keep the ART of Drag in Canada alive. Within you will find items rangign from entertaining new drag numbers to tips for beginners, campy quotes and make-up tips. As a community we must work together to improve the tone and artform of drag. Lets start here.