Why queens from Haus of Rena1ssance became drag performers

While the drag queens from Cebu's Haus of Rena1ssance (HoR) are used to performing, they still get the nerves before going on stage. One of their gigs earlier this year, titled “Reformed” and which celebrated their first anniversary, added more to the pressure to impress a crowd.

“Whatever pressure we felt, we let it out on stage. At the end of the show, we were just relaxed and chill. The best thing about it is that we had fun,” drag performer GIRL told The FREEMAN after their anniversary show.

Established last year, HoR is led by its founder and "house mother" Kat Phischeur, and consists of members GIRL, Letina, Georgina Wales, Ledda Marmalade, Akiko Brown, Leslie Versace, and SODA POP.

To cap off Pride Month, they have a show titled “Higher poweR”, to be held 7 tonight, June 29, at Harolds Evotel.

What made HoR stick together as a collective is their uniqueness, with each performer having a different style.

“We like trying new things. We are always changing; you are going against the trend. That’s how you become original and how you stay relevant,” GIRL remarked, to which Phischeur responded, “In our house, we always practice originality.”

- Drag origins -

Phischeur had to step up from a “bedroom drag queen” to the collective’s “mother” in her career as a drag performer that began during the pandemic.

“I had to mother myself because I had no one to look up to. I have to be my own mother, my own critic, so I think of myself as an influence,” Phischeur said. “From a bedroom queen to a house mother, that’s a big jump.”

Letina and Brown were performers in the Cebu gay comedy scene at a time when the word “drag” strictly meant “drag racing.”

Shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and its Filipino spin-off “Drag Race Philippines” hosted by Paolo Ballesteros brought another definition as drag queens were brought into Philippine mainstream.

“In my 16 years as a performer, I didn’t consider myself a drag queen at first. It was in my performance at a Leni Robredo rally in 2022  when I considered myself a drag queen,” Letina recalled.

“Before, the requirement was comedy since my previous group needed a comedy queen. But now with drag, it’s not required, so I am happy that my artistry has clicked. Right now, I am happy that I don’t feel limited with my drag.”

Wales’ participation in various local gay pageants was the gateway for to becoming a drag artist.

“Joining pageants, I realize now that was me doing drag. I always had this fascination as a gay person celebrating femininity,” she explained.

Brown added about Cebu drag’s evolution: “The drag scene has bloomed now unlike before when people were craving one specific kind of drag. Now, people tune in for our art.”

Before becoming a drag performer, Versace was a makeup assistant to Brown.

“I had a realization: what if I try doing drag? I’ll do this to enhance my skill,” Versace said.

Newcomer SODA POP, on one hand, was influenced by some of the local drag performers when they performed for Drag Race Philippines Season 1 winner Precious Paula Nicole’s 2022 show in Cebu.

“That was the first time I saw a drag performance, and I saw these beautiful drag queens. After the show, I went home and asked myself if I should do drag,” said Soda, whose  performance during the first anniversary show also marked her first year as a performer. “Everything came crashing down for me, like, whoa, these people that I saw and tagged on Instagram are now my sisters.”

Similar to Pop, GIRL was influenced by her idol Lady Gaga. Seeing Phischeur and Brown perform also pushed GIRL to pursue drag.

“As a fan, early Lady Gaga is a drag queen in her own right, with her costumes and the strong message in her music. That’s why I wanted to put strong messages into my drag as well,” said GIRL,  also citing Adore Delano and Sasha Velour as additional inspirations.

Marmalade has always wanted to be a performer, and drag was that realization of those dreams.

“My friend was my stylist who pushed me to do drag because he saw my potential as a performer when we were still kids. I thought, why not use my skills and talents in doing drag? So I started my drag on TikTok,” said Marmalade, crediting Plastique Tiara, Valentina, and Brooke Lynn Hytes as inspirations for her hyper-feminine drag style.

- State of Cebu drag -

Since its foundation, HoR has secured various local endorsements, such as Skin911 Medical, and has performed in establishments like Harolds Evotel and NUSTAR.

“We have a lot of establishments here in Cebu that are open to having drag queens. When I started HoR, this is exactly what I envisioned: that someday, we will get to a point where drag is everywhere in Cebu,” Phischeur said.

Some like Marmalade feel that one of the challenges that Cebu drag is facing is the impact of the backlash against Pura Luka Vega.

“Some performers are hesitant to express themselves because of what happened to Pura Luka Vega,” Marmalade said. “We are now scared that we might get canceled, especially since some people in the Philippines still have this traditional way of thinking. They would call drag ‘bayot’ as if it’s a negative term. Why use that word against us? We are just having fun and earning a living. We still have a long way to go in the Philippines.”

Wales and Pop are optimistic about Cebu drag’s prominence amidst the challenges faced by the  LGBTQIA+ community as a whole.

“The drag scene here is flourishing because people are now having an idea of what Cebu drag is,” Wales said.

“It’s becoming more powerful and loud. With my sisters, we are making Cebu drag mainstream. We have so many sponsorships and fans. It shows how we put so much hard work into it,” Pop added.