Drag King History

October 23, 2023, 5-6:30 PM

Lecture, Virtual Event, All Ages
Zoom

In 2018, acclaimed Drag King Legends Mo B. Dick and Ken Vegas teamed up to create dragkinghistory.com, a free online resource library to preserve this art form. In 2020, their greatest wish for this art form to be preserved for generations past, present and future came true as they granted permission to be archived in The U.S. Library of Congress. 

This one-hour lecture presentation will showcase the extensive history of female-born performers who donned men’s attire for theatrical purposes from breeches roles to en travesti, variety to vaudeville, male impersonation to drag kings, and drag kings to the gender free. Starting with the Tang Dynasty (618 A.D.) in China through to today, performer’s stories will be woven together to reflect the through-line from yesteryear to today.

This lecture by Mo B. Dick includes a brief introduction, a review of our glossary of terms, an educational presentation, followed by an interactive Q & A. Because women have had a long history of invisibility and marginality, we come forward with this history so that these courageous women are recognized. 

Participant Bios

Cited as one the founding fathers of the modern day drag king movement, Mo B. Dick is a shape shifter in the global drag king community. As a traveling trailblazer, Mo pioneered many firsts for drag kings. He produced the world’s first weekly drag king party, created the first cabaret tour of US and Canada, and co-created Drag King History. Mo B. Dick has been the subject of books, documentaries, articles, periodicals, podcasts, and more on drag kings proving he is a force to reckon with.

This program is organized by Drag King History as part of the 2023 Circa: Queer Histories Festival, presented by One Institute.

  • Dragkinghistory.com was created to showcase the extensive history of performers from breeches roles to en travesti, variety to vaudeville, male impersonation to drag kings, and drag kings to the gender free. It is our sincerest hopes that this site serves to preserve these art forms and to create community and unity. We hope you find this site informative, empowering and enlightening. This is our gift to all of the courageous performers who came before us and to those who will come after so they too may weave their influence onto the stages, films and literature for all to enjoy.