Celebrity drag queen excited to play sold-out Kamloops shows, ready to embrace controversy

Photo: Thorgy Thor

Thorgy Thor's show, Thorgy and the Thorchestra, will play Thursday and Friday at Sagebrush Theatre, alongside the Kamloops Symphony.

A popular TV drag queen set to play two sold-out shows this week alongside the Kamloops Symphony has a message for anyone thinking about protesting her performances.

“I know you’re upset because we sold out two nights in a row,” Thorgy Thor told Castanet Kamloops.

“But we’ll be back for another show — next year, next season.”

Thor, best known for her appearances on RuPaul’s Drag Race, will perform her Thorgy and the Thorchestra show Thursday and Friday at Sagebrush Theatre.

Thor is an accomplished musician who created the show in 2018 in collaboration with Canadian conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser. It premiered that year in Halifax and has been touring off and on since.

“I’ve been doing drag for 21 years and I’ve been part of many orchestras,” she said.

“When I got older, I just loved nightlife and I loved the theatrics of doing drag, so combining both of them and writing a show has really been 21 years in the making for me.”

The Brooklyn-based performer said the “unique” nature of her show has taken on additional meaning given the growing anti-drag movement — mostly in the United States but also in Canada.

“It’s sad what’s going on in the U.S. right now,” she said, specifically mentioning proposed laws in some states targeting the trans community and, in some cases, potentially outlawing drag.

“I am not a criminal. I don’t think what I’m doing is illegal — quite the opposite. It’s empowering, it’s not illegal.”

Thor said she’s ready to embrace the controversy. She said she will be part of a high-profile drag queen story time at a library in New York City next month, but the details are still being worked out.

Such events have been a flashpoint for protesters and counter-protesters across North America.

“It’s going to be a big thing,” Thor said. “I’m excited. I was like, ‘Yep, I’ll be there.’”

Thor also has a show coming up in Missouri, where anti-trans laws have recently been proposed by state lawmakers.

She’s hoping to get one on the books soon in Tennessee, as well, where lawmakers recently passed a bill that imposes strict legal definitions on sex and gender. Many trans people fear the new law will make them susceptible to discrimination.

“We’re really trying to book very quickly something in Tennessee,” she said.

“I think the symphony should find room for it right now — like, don’t wait. Create more drama about it, because it brings more light.”

Thorgy and the Thorchestra will run Thursday and Friday at Sagebrush Theatre. Showtime both nights is 8 p.m. and both shows are sold out.

Thor said she’s excited to hit the stage.

“I want everyone that loves drag to leave and go, ‘This is the best show I’ve ever seen,’” she said.

“And I want everyone that loves the symphony to leave and go, ‘Wow — I love drag energy.’”