Arts + Entertainment | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper: Back in 2015, a new figure started to take shape on the Pittsburgh art scene. Calling herself Princess Jafar, the singer, drag artist, and performer played host to events, gathering others artists and creatives to perform alongside her. These events, titled Princess Jafar & Friends, gave stage time to various local up-and-coming artists.
4 comments:
It’s great that the main aspect of the show is to give back to the community and charity. But it's also in the context of a game show, which is a great way to get attention and participation. In addition, I feel like in the context of theatre, drag queens aren’t taken very seriously. They are normally the butt of a joke in most theatre roles. So while even though Princess Jafar’s show is really energetic, fun and silly, there is still this more serious aspect to it. Drag is such a specific form of theatre and performance, it is just completely individual. Drag artists are never just portraying one character or idea, they can do such a variety of performance and art. I think drag is something I would love to see more of in the theatre world. It’s truly incredible the amount of talent in so many different fields that it takes to be a drag artist.
Not only does this sound like a really fun and entertaining show, it’s doing good for the community by giving out bus passes, lead water filters, and washers & dryers. In the cities I’ve lived in, I’ve never seen a game show/drag show combination, and it is a great way to make a comedic show that’s not just a straight comedy play/musical, improv show, or standup routine. I also love getting to see the local drag scene in different areas and what different artists do to make themselves stand out. In the article Princess Jafar talks about coming into her identity fully once she moved to Pittsburgh, and it’s amazing to see how a strong community can make someone who once felt like an outcast now feel supported & energized. The New Hazlett Theater also requires proof of vaccination for entry, so everyone is able to enjoy the show and protect themselves and those around them from getting sick.
The combination of mutual aid and underrepresented artist support is, to me, what drag is about. Drag, as a community and cultural scene, revolves around queer people who depend on eachother to survive in a world that punishes queer people for existing. It celebrates art and uniqueness in a way that inherently contradicts the current set up of society. When drag is given a bigger platform, the community aspect can sometimes be lost. However, New Hazlett, a community funded and experimental theater, has taken the challenge and stride. Putting mutual aid at the forefront of this project is part of the reason it’s so special, and the priority of artists of color is a value centric to the mission of Princess Jafar. She takes cemented pieces of conventional, heterosexual, society, like game tv shows, and turns them into something that embodies the ideals of drag and the Pittsburgh queer scene.
PRINCESS JAFAR!!!! I have seen posters for this and posts about it everywhere, and I will never forget that I actually have her phone number and could just reach out at any time. She did a zoom meeting during orientation last year, and about 5 people or less actually showed up to ask questions, and given the intimate nature, Princess Jafar just gave us her phone number if we ever had questions, as well as liking one of my instagram posts where I had a dress on :,). Incredibly excited for this project, whereas some of the work Princess Jafar has done before has simply been music videos or performances, this Fully encapsulates the nature of work that she has long advocated for. She is able to seamlessly blend entertainment, drag, and community building into her work with this game show designed to help the people of Pittsburgh specifically. I want that lead water filter though.
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