Queens at Queen’s: Putting Drag on Trial
Queen’s Theatre Troupe (QTT) is back at it again, this time with their first show of 2025. Bringing audiences into the fantastical dressing room of Sky Gilbert’s Drag Queens on Trial, QTT welcomes the show to Convocation Hall. Directed by Linden Imeson Jorna, the production bleeds comedy and melodrama, while also tackling some serious social issues. I was lucky enough to recently sit down with Jorna and chat about the upcoming spring production.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
As Jorna tells it, we first meet these drag queens as they prepare for a show. “We follow them as they’re getting ready in their dressing room. And they just are shooting the shit, as they say, and then they accuse each other, one by one, of being drag queens in this pretend trial. And they kind of use it as this play world as a way to explore what it means to be a drag queen in society.”
With the show being first performed in 1985, QTT is using their production to get specific about drag and theatre in today’s society. “The show is kind of something that the Queen’s—at least not in my time here—the Queen’s community hasn’t really seen and maybe the Kingston community as well. And in the current political climate, it’s a super important story to be showcasing.”
With the reversal of transgender rights in the U.S., Drag Queens on Trial is a pertinent show to be seen on stage right now. And in these terse times, it’s essential to bring communities together in solidarity. “I would say that in Kingston specifically, there’s definitely this drag community that’s been around… I think bringing that into the theatre world and giving voice to this artform in a new context is another way to, or an important way to, give voice, and give people who maybe aren’t directly in the drag community, but are in the theatre community, a bridge to see these two worlds combine in a really cool way.”
QTT is certainly ensuring this production is done in a very cool way. Despite having few funds as a student-run club, the hair and make-up team (wig stylist is Sophie Wilson, makeup designers are Chloe Boudreau and Margaret Young) is taking creative measures to bring classic drag elements into the show. “We don’t have a huge budget for those super—you know, when you think drag, you often think of big hair. So we’re making it work with wigs that—you know, we get her for a cheaper price. But there’s a lot that you can do with a cheap wig with enough time and effort, and that’s something that I’m very proud of my team for taking on.”
Alongside this show being a wonderful opportunity to learn new techniques within one’s craft, QTT also provides students with the opportunity to take on roles they never have before. “This is my first time directing. It’s been super exciting. All my experience with directors has been from an actor’s point of view. So it’s definitely—going 180 on it has been super, super educational. I’ve learned so much, especially, I’ve learned a lot as an actor, like, ‘Oh, I get it now,’ when my director is asking me these things. I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s what they need, and that’s what they want.’… I’m excited for my next acting opportunity to then come at it with a new perspective.”
As a first-time director, character-building with the cast has been a focus. “Learning what drag is to them was super important for me. You know, drag is unique to everyone, so finding a way to marry the characters with the actors’ idea of what their style of drag [is] or what they’re comfortable and excited to do on stage, and exploring that was a big part of the rehearsal process.”
In turn, Jorna described the beautiful way playing a drag character has influenced the actors. “They are definitely confident people already, but it’s just seeing them open up a little more and bring this fabulousness of these drag characters to moments of rehearsal when we’re not necessarily in character, and seeing that joy is so wonderful.”
And of course, in this conversation of what drag means to someone, I had to throw the question back to Jorna. “Drag, to me… it’s this very eclectic art form. You collect a little bit of everything. It’s fashion, it can be comedy, it’s dance, it’s singing. And you get to select what’s important to you and what you get to do, all while having this queer lens of breaking gender norms and societal norms, and just exploring what gender means to you and why we live outside of drag the way we do. So drag is this gateway into breaking down the things we assume.”
The love for theatre that drives QTT goes beyond immersing oneself in the world of the show. The reach of these students’ passion is infinite, despite facing challenges. “Finding a venue was quite the hassle, I will say. But we have so many amazing resources, and especially this semester, there has been so much student theatre. So even without, what feels like, without support from people that feel like they’re above us, or we feel are above us—like are the ones in control—you can tell that the drive to produce theatre is still there. There’s still so much passion, and that’s all it takes, really. And that’s what this process has felt like, is so many passionate people who want to create theatre coming together to put it on. So it’s not without its challenges, absolutely, but with enough people and enough passion, you can get it done.”
QTT’s production of Drag Queens on Trial is bound to be a cleverly generative show. The cast and crew hope to welcome you into their fantastical “play world”.
Linden Imeson Jorna is a fourth year Music Theatre Performance student at Queen’s University. He’s so excited to make his directorial debut alongside an amazing team, and share such a fun and inspiring story!
Queen’s Theatre Troupe’s production of ‘Drag Queens on Trials’ opens April 2, 2025 and runs until April 5, 2025. Tickets and more information can be found here.
