The History of Drag

Drag has a huge television profile thanks to RuPaul’s Drag Race, but its history stretches back centuries. This talk explores the evolution of drag from the 17th century to the present, tracing how gender performance has shifted across time and culture. In Britain, drag has long been a staple of the stage. From the all-male casts of early Shakespeare to the glamour revues and risqué comedy of the 20th century. Stars like Danny La Rue embodied exaggerated femininity, while figures such as Dame Edna Everage and Vesta Tilly played with parody and gender reversal.

Today, drag intersects with queer and trans histories, gender-fluid identities, and debates around sex work and misogyny. The growing visibility of drag kings and diverse performers continue to reshape what drag can be – and who it’s for. Join us for a vibrant journey into drag’s rich and rebellious legacy.

Doors open at 7pm, talk starts at 7:30pm - come down early to grab a good seat!

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Speaker Bio:

*Prof Dominic Janes is a leading historian specialising in LGBTQ+ history and culture, who regularly appears on television and in print media. He is Professor of Modern History at Keele University and a Professorial Fellow at the University for the Creative Arts. He has explored fashion, style and clothing as markers of gender and sexuality in a series of books including British Dandies (2002), Oscar Wilde Prefigured (2016), and Freak to Chic (2021).*

Presented by Seed Talks

This is an 18+ event