Welcome to the Australian Drag King Universe! A growing living archive exploring Australia’s drag king history, culture and artform — and the much longer history of women performing masculinity onstage. It’s a passion project that brings together self directed research, stories, performers, terminology, timelines and resources in one place.
From nineteenth-century male impersonators and Principal Boys to queer performance, cabaret and the modern drag king scene, this website follows the changing ways masculinity has been performed across Australia.
And there is plenty more to uncover.
Explore
Australian Timelines
Australia has a rich history of women performing masculinity on stage, from home grown to international stars.
National Library of Australia’s Trove.
Artist Profiles
Get a closer glimpse of the women artists who performed masculinity on the Australian stage here
Women Performing Masculinity
Explore this piece on the general global evolution of the practices of women performing masculinity onstage here
Explore the changing terminology and practices that connect Australia’s history of women performing masculinity onstage here
King Craft
Look behind the performance at the king craft (skills, techniques, character development, movement, voice, comedy, storytelling and creativity) that make drag king performance here
A Living Archive
This website is growing. New performers, stories, research and historical discoveries are continually being added. Some stories are well documented; others are waiting to be found.
The goal is simple: to discover, document and celebrate Australian drag kings. With a few side quests too.
Please be patient as we build this website
