As the saying goes, “variety is the very spice of life that gives it all its flavour.”
While the saying was first uttered in 1785, it is no less true today. A telltale sign of a thriving arts and culture community is in the variety of its offerings.
On any given day, there are individuals bringing their unique flavour to spaces all around Barrie and raising the bar of what keeps our city interesting.
Bringing a healthy dose of spice to The Rec Room on Dec. 27 is TroyBoy's Dinner and Drag show, led by the 'King of Queens' himself, Mr. TroyBoy Parks.
Before the music starts and the dead drops begin, I had the chance to talk to event organizer, and ringleader of TroyBoy Entertainment, Troy Caplan, also known as TroyBoy Parks.
RV: Where did your moniker of TroyBoy Parks come from?
TC: Parks is my drag family name. A lot of drag entertainers are part of drag families with a drag mom who has mentored them. My drag mom is Queen Victoria Parks and she has been performing for 26 years and is based out of Kitchener. She was the second drag queen I ever saw.
When I decided to step on stage, she was the main hostess of the show at the time, so it made sense that I would adopt her name.
RV: That’s cute.
TC: She wasn’t down with it at first. She wasn’t known for having drag kids — definitely known more as an auntie — but I said the name was suggested by my business advisor so that's what we’re doing. (laughs)
On the topic of mothers, my birth mom would always call me ‘Troy, her boy’. I was in Grade 8 and one day I was hanging out with my girlfriends in my basement and my mom called down 'Troy, my boy, your snacks are ready' and I was red-faced embarrassed.
That turned into TroyBoy and I hated it for the longest time, but it stuck, so that’s how TroyBoy Parks came to be.
RV: How long have you been working in the drag industry?
TC: I’ve been working in the industry for 16 years and the last nine have included producing my own drag shows.
RV: And what hooked you into the industry?
TC: I was 19 and stumbled into my first gay club, Club Renaissance in Kitchener, and started helping with their events which included the Thursday night drag show. It was mind blowing to see for the first time.
I started helping as a stage manager and doing whatever I could to help. I was 26 when I started doing my own show in Guelph and started travelling around based on requests.
It’s crazy that over the last nine years, I have been in 23 different cities and towns. It has been amazing. This will be the first time I’m producing something in Barrie.
RV: What made you choose Barrie as one of your locations for a show?
TC: Through recommendations. Gillian at The Rec Room reached out and I started doing my homework. The thing is, I won’t travel to a new city and start promoting a show unless I’m invited and I can connect with the drag community that is already there.
Local representation is a huge part of the ethics I put into my work. I will never go into a city without trying to involve the local representatives.
In some way, in some form, there is a drag connection in every location. It might take some digging, but I guarantee it is there.
RV: Do you have any other rules of engagement?
TC: I do, but I can’t give them all away for free. I mean, you have to be smart in your tactics when it comes to touring a show around.
I worked with Athena Vegas before and she is a fierce local queen. Having her, Justine Das and some special guests, is a great way to bring out the community and makes for a great show. Add in some members of my own drag family, a few headliners and it’s the best recipe for a memorable night.
RV: What is something you would like everyone to know about drag?
TC: Drag is art and art is subjective. There are so many more forms of drag than what you see on TV and each performer is unique. It’s not up to an audience to tell us what our art is; it’s up to us as the artist to express to an audience what our art is.
I hope people come in with open minds and are curious about what a drag show entails, but also please remember that we are all human beings underneath glammed-up faces and at the end of the day, we are here to entertain.
RV: What should people expect from the upcoming event?
TC: I love when people ask me this question! The thing I love about my drag show and what I think makes for a great show is how we vibe in the backroom. Crafting a lineup of extremely talented and fierce queens is one thing, but the fact that they all like each
other makes a huge difference on stage.
For the audience, expect variety. It’s all about the variety. You aren’t going to want to get up for a smoke break or whatever because every performer will be bringing something fresh and engaging to the stage.
There is an intermission, so everything you need to do can be done then because people are not going to want to miss a single second. You’ll have a camp queen, you’ll have a trick queen, you’ll have a theatrics queen, everything.
As much as the show is right after the holidays, I hope people can walk away with a sense of magic. Step into fantasy for a night and when you return to reality, take some magic and hope with you.
Book your tickets to TroyBoy’s Dinner and Drag show at The Rec Room by clicking here.
