by Scott Roos
pictures by Deanna Roos of Contingent Colours Photography
Pride was on full display this past Saturday night as the YXE Drag Collective rolled into Prince Albert for two captivating performances in the parking lot of the Art Hauser Centre as part of their Drag Me Across Saskatchewan tour. The tour features a number of drag kings and queens from the collective in shows across the province including stops in smaller communities like Moose Jaw, La Ronge and Humboldt. NSMZ was able to speak with one of the performers, Hazel Evoy aka Karma K. Meleon, prior to the show about the importance of Pride and events like the Drag Me Across Saskatchewan tour.
"Honestly, Pride is probably the most key element in any queer community because that's representation,” related Evoy, “I grew up in a very small town myself. I'm from Kindersley so there wasn't anybody around - anyone like me. I didn't even know a single gay person growing up so Pride is letting people like me know that they're not alone in the world they live in. That's why it means so much for us to be going to these small communities because there are towns like Kindersley and you name it that don't have stuff like this so even having a slight amount of representation for a queer kid is a good thing."
In terms of the show itself, the Collective was able to soldier on in spite of the weather and also some harassment from a few separate marauding groups of young skateboarders from the nearby skate park. Each performer performed one or two songs and had the entire expanse of the parking lot to work with. That’s a lot of space. But, the engagement with the audience and the energy of a small club show was still evident. The audience waved Pride flags throughout the 90 minute long show and honked horns in approval.
In truth, it was awesome to see that in a small town like Prince Albert, there is a lot of support for the LGBTQ2+ community and it’s largely due to the tireless efforts of groups like the YXE Drag Collective that have paved the way for this level of inclusion and love. In the words of the great Bob Dylan “The times they are a changin’”. Kudos to the YXE drag collective for being a welcome part of the changing world we live in.
There are still several stops on the tour remaining. For further locations of dates, times and locations of up and coming shows, check the YXE Drag Collective Facebook Page.
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