New 18+ drag show series begins in Pittsburgh – 90.5 WESA
Patrick Mayoral grew up a performer. In Los Angeles, he said, he’d acted and sang in stage shows since childhood, and even trained with the Los Angeles Opera.
Since enrolling at Point Park University three years ago, he’s continued performing: He’s an acting major, after all, and does drag under the name Miss Demeanor.
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be gay [do crime]
But Mayoral also wants to make a mark as a producer, particularly in an area he’s found lacking since he came to town: drag shows for adults under 21.
Mayoral’s production company is called be gay [do crime]. The new series of what he calls “18-up” drag shows continues Fri., Nov. 11, at the Funhouse at Mr. Smalls with “be gay [crash the system],” a drag show that honors (or, if you prefer, spoofs) such “the system is a lie” movies as “The Matrix” and “V for Vendetta.”
Performers, most of them Pittsburgh-based, include Calipso, Soft Boy, Bone Daddy, Brooklyn Barbie, Jackie Dior, Leshy, and Miss Demeanor herself.
Mayoral said that while some LGBTQ venues in Pittsburgh have hosted under-21 events over the years, he doesn’t know of any that survived the pandemic. (One such venue was Cruze, in the Strip District, which actually closed in 2019.)
“Ultimately, my goal here is to create a space for people to come in and have the opportunity to figure out if they’re OK with their sexuality, because I didn’t really have anywhere like that when I got here three years ago,” he said.
He said the first be gay [do crime] production, in June at the Thunderbird Café, went well. He’s since turned 21 himself, but said that has only strengthened his resolve.
“It makes you realize the fact of not having these spaces in the first place — if anything it recommitted [me] to the mission of helping bring 18-up spaces to the city of Pittsburgh,” he said.
“I strongly believe that there is a want for this in the city, and I strongly believe that if you build it, they will come,” said Mayoral.
Sponsors for “be gay [crash the system]” include Allies for Health + Wellbeing. The nonprofit group will conduct HIV and STD testing in a van outside the theater from 5-8 p.m., said Mayoral.