Drag 'n' Drop! - Bar74, Ryde (drag/music/comedy/quantum physics)

In a world where gender has been outlawed, only drag can save us...

Dragona Budjet (it’s pronounced bou-jzay, m’kay?!) is one half of high-energy drag removals company Drag ‘n’ Drop! She really puts the all in removals, bringing entertainment and education in unequal measure.

Rifling through the universe’s rhinestoned curtains, join her on a journey through music, comedy, and spoken word, deep into the near dystopian future of gender neutrality and across the nebulous territories of queerness, identity, mental health, climate change, and quantum physics.In a show that puts the feathered eyebrow in high-brow and the dick joke in Phillip K. Dick, Dragona gets to the top and bottom of the biggest questions: if a drag queen falls in a forest, will her makeup survive? Where does self-worth come from? And where the hell is Drop?

This is drag’s answer to Waiting for Godot that no-one asked for.

ABOUT THE SHOW

The show was sparked by a mutual fascination with quantum physics and frustration at the lack of enshrined support and representation of trans and non-binary folks in law in the UK in 2023. Written and performed by non-binary/trans writer, performer and musician Ri Baroche, Drag ’n’ Drop! has been developed through workshops and exploratory sessions with LGBTQIA+ youth projects Breakout Youth and Freedom, to positively express and celebrate representations of LGBTQIA+ people and their stories. Themes of quantum physics and LGBTQIA+ representation in STEM subjects have been developed with support from charity Pride In Stem. Special thanks go to writing development agency ArtfulScribe, writer/performer/director CJ Turner-McMullan and Apricity theatre company, G(end)er Swap, makeup artist Vince Ugly, the Exeter Phoenix, The Alma Tavern & Theatre, Bristol and The Lighthouse, Poole for their support throughout the development process.

drodge is an emergent arts company, initiated in 2022 by Ri Baroche, seeking to bring together, empower and better represent trans, non-binary and genderqueer performers and practitioners across the arts, providing opportunities and positive stories for LGBTQIA+-identifying folks.

Developed with support from Arts Council England.

ABOUT THE WRITER/PERFORMER

Ri Baroche talking about Drag 'n' Drop!

“In my work, I’m fascinated by bringing together ideas that apparently having nothing in common, subjects that people don’t want to talk about, concepts people think they don’t understand. Which explains why I’m serving you a drag theatre show about gender, climate change and quantum physics!

When I first started to write the show back in December 2022, the idea of a near-future dystopian world where gender has been outlawed, drag has been banned except with special permission, and the LGBTQIA+ community is facing an existential crisis, all seemed pretty ludicrous. Now I feel I owe the world an apology for the parallel universe I’ve opened up. Sorry! This show has been described as “the best fever dream”, and I guarantee you’ll leave with all parts of your brain and body alive and buzzing, your heart feeling all the feels, though hopefully your head won’t be hurting too much (unless you come in drag - thoroughly encouraged! - wigs, am I right?!"

Ri Baroche (they/them) is a non-binary/trans writer, performer, musician and drag artist based in Hampshire.

With 10+ years of experience across the arts, Ri has been entertaining, provoking and baffling audiences across the UK. Their work is focused on examining things that don’t normally co-exist, the parts of ourselves that cause friction and sparks, and have adopted the creative motto of “Throw things together to see what they do”. They love the challenge of finding excitement, entertainment and fresh energy in daunting subjects, such as climate change, gender, and science research. They are passionate about achieving better representation of LGBTQIA+ people and stories, and are growing their arts collective ‘drodge’ to this end.

Their first one-person show, Knot What You Think, was a sell-out performance at 12th century ruin Canute’s Palace, Southampton in collaboration with aspacearts. They produced a podcast series ‘PSST…’ across June 2023 in collaboration with writing development agency ArtfulScribe, bringing together 4 queer writers across poetry, songwriting, storytelling and theatre to talk about their experiences as writers and people and explore the subject of ‘queer joy’. They regularly perform at festivals, from Glastonbury to Bearded Theory to Everybody, and have played on stages from historic Camden venue Dingwalls to the top deck of the Isle of Wight ferry. They typically perform drag in a variety of venues under the name ‘Dragona Budjet’, using their drag work to highlight issues they’re passionate about, such as climate change and gender equality, and working wherever they can to utilise sustainable practises to make costumes, looks and props.

Their current show, Drag ’n’ Drop!, a drag/music/comedy/theatre show about quantum physics, gender and climate change, tours the UK in November 2023 and February/March 2024, kicking off at MAST, Southampton on 1st November as part of their ‘Emergency Season’. They are an Associate Artist from August 2023-Feb 2025 at MAST, where they will be working on new musical-comedy Trutopia!, which focuses on positive stories and solutions around climate action.

Reviews

“…when Dragona sang, it was absolutely breath-taking…”

- Anita Foxall, InCommon

“…I couldn’t take my eyes off them the whole time. Intelligent, thought-

provoking, inspiring & fab-u-LOUS!!!”

- Audience member, MAST, Southampton

“…I don’t quite know what I just saw, but I loved it!”

- Audience member, The Alma, Bristol