Drag queen and youth show: joyful meeting!
Drag queen Barbada will have her own youth show on ICI TOU. TV from March 29th. The goal? Introduce music to children in ten minutes in a fancy rainbow. Forward the fanfare and glitter!
First of all, what is the flavor of Barbada and what can we expect?"It's a super flamboyant and colorful universe in the drag queen way, but obviously suitable for young people. Barbada invites you to her home with her guests. In each episode, my chest makes you discover a new instrument of the day that makes me think and say: "Hmmm, I have a friend who plays it, I will invite him." I say no more!"
We can see Clay and Friends, Klô Pelgag, Les Louanges... How did the artists react when you approached them?"They were all very enthusiastic and you can see him on camera. All the guests had a good surprise when they saw the magnitude of Barbada's house, the color, and the super exploded universe. I'm a fan of music, but I admit, I had some prejudices. I thought, 'Let's see, I don't think Normand Brathwaite will trip on a children's show hosted by a drag queen,' but he accepted our invitation and it was super trippy!"
First of all, what is the flavor of Barbada and what can we expect?"It's a super flamboyant and colorful universe in the drag queen way, but obviously suitable for young people. Barbada invites you to her home with her guests. In each episode, my chest makes you discover a new instrument of the day that makes me think and say: "Hmmm, I have a friend who plays it, I will invite him." I say no more!"
We can see Clay and Friends, Klô Pelgag, Les Louanges... How did the artists react when you approached them?"They were all very enthusiastic and you can see him on camera. All the guests had a good surprise when they saw the magnitude of Barbada's house, the color, and the super exploded universe. I'm a fan of music, but I admit, I had some prejudices. I thought, 'Let's see, I don't think Normand Brathwaite will trip on a children's show hosted by a drag queen,' but he accepted our invitation and it was super trippy!"
Do you have any crunchy filming anecdotes to share?
"My first anecdote was when I met Marc-André Grondin [Editor's note: producer of the show]. We were still far from filming and I had no idea that I was going to meet him. In the email, it was just signed "MA Grondin" and I didn't make the link. I was a startruck when I came face to face with LE Marc-André Grondin, the actor of C.R.A.Z.Y – who is also very beautiful, we will tell ourselves.
I tried not to let it appear with my acting skills.
On set, the funniest sentence came from Normand Brathwaite. It was in December, he had just gone to shoot Live from the Universe for New Year's Day and then he went directly to the set of Barbada. He came in and said, "Hey, this is a nasty acid trip." It was very funny [laughs]."
How did you marry drag to children's shows?"With the fact that I've been a teacher for 17 years, it's been natural; I understand the world of children and the world of youth. I am used to working with young people. But it also came with L'heure du conte [Editor's note: Barbada reads to toddlers at the Maison de la culture Claude-Léveillée] and the activities I was offered in the library, in daycares, etc. However, here we really appeal to more educational topics like bad dreams, stress, etc. The purpose of the show wasn't to say, 'Hello, I'm a drag queen.'"
"My first anecdote was when I met Marc-André Grondin [Editor's note: producer of the show]. We were still far from filming and I had no idea that I was going to meet him. In the email, it was just signed "MA Grondin" and I didn't make the link. I was a startruck when I came face to face with LE Marc-André Grondin, the actor of C.R.A.Z.Y – who is also very beautiful, we will tell ourselves.
I tried not to let it appear with my acting skills.
On set, the funniest sentence came from Normand Brathwaite. It was in December, he had just gone to shoot Live from the Universe for New Year's Day and then he went directly to the set of Barbada. He came in and said, "Hey, this is a nasty acid trip." It was very funny [laughs]."
How did you marry drag to children's shows?"With the fact that I've been a teacher for 17 years, it's been natural; I understand the world of children and the world of youth. I am used to working with young people. But it also came with L'heure du conte [Editor's note: Barbada reads to toddlers at the Maison de la culture Claude-Léveillée] and the activities I was offered in the library, in daycares, etc. However, here we really appeal to more educational topics like bad dreams, stress, etc. The purpose of the show wasn't to say, 'Hello, I'm a drag queen.'"
Are you looking forward to seeing how toddlers and their parents will react?"The children who go to watch the show are the same age as those who come to Story Time. I see it in their eyes. They are impressed to see a drag queen. It's very colorful! There is a misunderstanding in the first two or three minutes, because it is bigger than mom, the voice is deeper and it is a woman with pink hair, but after two minutes it is completely forgotten.
In fact, I think young people may not even ask themselves that question; just want to discover the puppets that are so endearing! They're going to love Barbada's universe and that's going to be it."
What makes you most proud of this project?"It's to say to yourself: we're here. It makes me proud to see that in Quebec we can ignore the prejudices that some people and some media may have. People are ready, but we just have to show them thanks to ICI TOU. TV or channels that will say, "We're trying it." It is a way of moving things forward. If we want the art of drag to be accepted, we must show it.
It's nice to have drag queens in bars in Montreal or Quebec City, but people outside the big centres or who don't go to those establishments will never know what drag is. You have to show that they are accomplished artists like anyone else. Broadcasters
do this and... it was about time!"
In fact, I think young people may not even ask themselves that question; just want to discover the puppets that are so endearing! They're going to love Barbada's universe and that's going to be it."
What makes you most proud of this project?"It's to say to yourself: we're here. It makes me proud to see that in Quebec we can ignore the prejudices that some people and some media may have. People are ready, but we just have to show them thanks to ICI TOU. TV or channels that will say, "We're trying it." It is a way of moving things forward. If we want the art of drag to be accepted, we must show it.
It's nice to have drag queens in bars in Montreal or Quebec City, but people outside the big centres or who don't go to those establishments will never know what drag is. You have to show that they are accomplished artists like anyone else. Broadcasters
do this and... it was about time!"
