The June 11 performance of Les Mis茅rables at the Kennedy Center was a particularly eventful one. President Donald J. Trump attended the performance as a fundraiser for the Kennedy Center, which he unilaterally took over in February. In response, a number of cast members of the show chose to not perform.
Then at the performance itself, Trump was met with an equal amount of cheers and boos. One person was ushered out of the show midway after they shouted And in the audience was a contingent of drag performers, who attended as a form of protest against a president who has been actively working to curb rights for trans and nonbinary Americans, and banning drag performances and Pride events at the venue.
"In my story time events I do for kids and families, I often read books about being brave, being strong, and being true to who you are. Showing up to the Kennedy Center with my fellow drag stars allowed me to live those words and lessons for all to see," said Tara Hoot, a drag queen who attended that Les Miz performance alongside fellow drag performers Vagenesis, Ricky Rose, and Mari Con Carne.
Trump has previously said that he wanted to ban drag shows at the Kennedy Center, as well as "woke" art. That has led to a number of shows cancelling their engagement at the Kennedy Center (including the Hamilton tour). Patrons have also spoke up; . And at last night's Les Miz performance, a number of patrons who had previously purchased tickets elected not to attend, instead donating the tickets to the drag performers. Those performers are also part of LGBTQIA+ advocacy group Qommittee, which previously led a protest at the Kennedy Center and launched for donors to stop supporting the institution.
The drag queens and drag king who attended Les Miz were no strangers to the Kennedy Center鈥攖hey're local performers, and some of them have performed at the institution before. "We're theoretically banned from performing any queer art in the Kennedy Center. And so just being there made it really seem like, you can't erase us," drag queen Mari Con Carne told 半岛体育 June 12, the morning after the performance. "You can ban us from your stages, but you can't erase our presence from the venue. We'll always be there regardless." Mari Con Carne has performed at the Kennedy Center before; they also helped organize that March protest.
Below, they walked 半岛体育 through their evening, how they encountered more support than they expected, what it was like being in the same room as Trump, how the Les Miz performers reacted, and what is next for Qommittee.
Why did you want to go to the show?
Mari Con Carne: First and foremost, because I like the show. Secondly, because a lot of the things that I do are protests. But we sometimes have to understand that even our presence is a form of protest. And so last night, it was crucial for me to be there first as a drag queen, because, I mean, we're theoretically banned from performing any queer art in the Kennedy Center. Just being there made it really seem like, you can't erase us. You can ban us from your stages, but you can't erase our presence from the venue. We'll always be there regardless. And then, as an immigrant, I wanted it to be known that we aren't going anywhere, and we'll face you head on with every ounce of courage that we have.
Were you concerned about safety?
We had safety plans and concerns. It was us, plus somebody there to record it, and somebody that's in the community there to help us out if anything happened. The whole vibe of it was interesting, because I, as a very loud immigrant brown person, already don't fit into Republican white spaces. And so, a lot of people wouldn't look at me directly. However, most of the people that said anything to us were people for that were aiming for support. Even people who were not attending, who live in the neighborhood, they said, "We love what you are doing. Keep it going." And then once we got in there, even more people started saying it. The people who did not agree with us being there didn't say anything. They'd even look at us in the eye but then they would scurry away from us. And then once we entered into the actual venue, that's when I actually started getting a little bit emotional, because immediately people started clapping, people started cheering, and it was just beautiful to see that there was full support for us to be there. So it was really beautiful to see. It made our presence even more important.
I saw in videos that there was an equal mix of boos and cheers. Was that the sense you got, as well, that it was a pretty mixed crowd?
Once everybody started filling their seats, then Trump arrived. That's when more cheers and boos began to happen simultaneously. And then people started shouting, "USA," really loud, which sort of drowned out the boos. But then after the intermission, that's when people started being more vocal. There was a person who actually shouted, "fuck Trump" before the show started. They also got some cheers for saying that. So it was a mixture of both. Both were being very loud about their position.
Were you able to see Trump? Were you able to watch how he was reacting to the show?
We saw him whenever he got there, because he was close to the edge. And then once he sat down, we weren't able really to see his reaction to the show. It's pretty much whatever reality he lives in. He ignored the boos. I don't particularly enjoy this person at all, especially being a Mexican immigrant, so I sort of just gave him a glare and then set my beautiful gown down and waited for the show.
How was the show?
Oh, the show was fantastic. I sat next to somebody who's familiar with the cast, and they were saying that before the show started, the cast got word that we were going to be there, and that the cast was very, very, very excited for us to be there鈥攖hat it sort of gave them a little bit more boost of morale for them to perform. A lot of the things that this individual said was they were also going to use their art as protest, considering the themes of the play. And you could literally feel the energy off them. Even thinking about it now, it makes me a little bit emotional. They weren't just performing the play; they felt everything that the play was about. And there was clear direction as to who it was for. And it was just really great. Overall, the play was amazing. I really, really enjoyed it.
What felt really pointed to you about the performance? Was there any particular moment when you were like, "Oh, that's directed at the president?"
Whenever they started singing, "Do You Hear the People Sing?." That in itself, you could feel the power. I don't know how you could see the play and not understand that it is against a tyrannical government, an oppressive government. And whenever they were singing that, you could hear that they were really connected to the words.
And then at some point, one of the characters came in wearing makeup and a wig and hip pads. And I was like, "That's a drag queen right there." And one of the last songs in the second act, they said the word "queerness." And then he grabbed male-presenting individual, and pretended to kiss him. So even that moment in general felt really nice and really powerful to see.
What happens now? Are you all going to continue to plan protests?
Personally for me, yes. A lot of my identity is being attacked right now. A lot of my community is being attacked. I do plan to do more. I regularly host self-defense classes for trans and non-binary individuals. I regularly speak out against the things that are happening at all of my shows. The Qommittee has absolutely done a great job at not only building guideline for drag performers to follow, in case they want to get more political, but sort of organizing these events that really put our voices and our press across all national media, which is what we really need. It's easy to read a headline where it's like, "Drag queens are banned from X, Y, and Z." But it makes it more impactful when you see the faces, when you actually read the stories as to why this is.
For people who don't live in D.C., how can they support?
Elevate the voices that we have. The Qommittee is a really big national organization. So encourage any drag performer, drag enthusiast to join the mailing list, and they will send you all the information that we have. They not only plan things here in D.C., but they support other organizers across the country.
Secondly, just amplifying any sort of voices that are trying to shine right now, especially those who are actually coming up with plans, coming up with actions, and understanding the intersectionality between queerness and the other factors of identity that we have鈥攚hether we support immigration, pro-choice, Palestine, Gaza鈥攁ll those things are part of the intersectionality of being queer and standing up against an oppressive government.
Have you been getting support from other other theatres in the D.C. area?
The Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. They actually messaged us about a month ago before they started their production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and they asked for local talent to be part of it. They asked for posters, for pictures, for us to be there. They asked if we wanted to talk to the cast, asked if we wanted to attend a performance. I did a panel on drag, family, and activism at a theatre in Maryland, the Olney. They've had a bunch of drag queens perform there. There is support in the local theatre scene here in Washington, D.C.
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