An evening showcase celebrating Pride Week
A 21+ after-hours event
Drag Me to the Past: Corsets & Crowns is a dazzling evening showcase celebrating Pride Weeks with high fashion and even higher hair. The queens and kings of Drag Me to the Stage – including Kyla Minx, Mrs. Kasha Davis, Darienne Lake, Chance Wither Heart, and more – will transform the Exhibition Barn into a runway of wit, glamour, and royal flair. Expect corsets, crowns, and campy takes on 19th-century style in this truly unforgettable performance.
This evening’s lively Drag entertainment will be rooted in the history of celebrated Genesee Valley Drag performances of the 19th century. Learn how this beloved art form of gender performance thrived in 19th-century America, and see first-hand how Drag has evolved into an international sensation!
Tickets to Corsets & Crowns include a dinner buffet, a drink ticket, the drag show, and admission to the Wehle Gallery.
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Explore Drag and Female Impersonation in 19th-Century New York
Drag is an artistic tradition that gained mainstream popularity in America after the Civil War. The history of female impersonation and Drag has connections to vaudeville, 19th-century minstrel shows, theater, and operatic performances.
Authentic to this area of New York State specifically, each table centerpiece will highlight female impersonators and self-styled Drag queens of the 19th century such as Burton Stanley, Neil Burgess, and more distant female impersonators like B. Morris Young (son of Brigham Young) and William Dorsey Swann.
GCV&M seeks to tell a broader story that more accurately reflects the diversity of the Genesee Valley Region and lifts up stories that have been untold and voices that have been historically silenced.
(Pictured: Francis Leon – image form Harvard Theatre Collection, 1870s)
Enjoy modern Drag performances & historic fasion!
Guests will enjoy modern Drag performances by Rochester-area Queens wearing historically-inspired ensembles with a playful modern punch!
Dazzling extant original fashions from the 19th century will complement these modern marvels.
The evening’s performers: Kyla Minx, Mrs. Kasha Davis, Darienne Lake, Chance Wither Heart, and more!
On the Menu
Enjoy a delectable meal and drinks from the cash bar while you take in the evening’s performances!
Please note that due to the nature of this event, special dietary restrictions, substitutions, and requests cannot be met. Thank you for your understanding.
Ticket Information
Museum Member: $75 + tax
General Public: $80 + tax
Tickets for this event will not be sold onsite and must be purchased online before Friday, July 18.
FAQs
Drag is a performance of exaggerated gender cues. This includes heightened femininity and masculinity for the purposes of entertainment. 19th-century Drag and gender-impersonation acts entertained crowds with operatic, comedic, and sometimes racially-motivated caricatures. Drag and female impersonation were utilized in both white and Black communities in the 19th century. It is indeed a reality that female impersonation was sometimes employed to negatively portray racist caricatures of Black women and women of color throughout history. This program will broach this complicated topic, while also celebrating the long tradition of Drag performances by People of Color, and female impersonation in the Genesee Valley Region from the 19th-century to today.
In the 21st century, the art form of Drag has continued to flourish with international acclaim.
Drag is an artistic tradition that gained mainstream popularity after the Civil War. The history of female impersonation and Drag has connections to vaudeville, 19th-century minstrel shows, theater, and operatic performances. Authentic to this area of New York State specifically, this event will highlight female impersonators and self-styled Drag queens of the 19th century such as Burton Stanley, Neil Burgess, and more distant female impersonators like B. Morris Young (son of Brigham Young) and William Dorsey Swann. GCV&M seeks to tell a broader story that more accurately reflects the diversity of the Genesee Valley Region and lifts up stories that have been untold and voices that have been historically silenced. This endeavor to bring to our visitors a truer, more accurate portrayal of 19th-century history represents not a political stance, but rather an attempt to showcase the true diversity of 19th-century New York State.
Genesee Country Village & Museum is actively committed to broadening our understanding of DEAI (Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion), and making it part of everything that we do. Guided by our mission, values, and inclusive culture of curiosity, we strive to dismantle inequity and address erasure through ongoing dynamic interpretation, communications, research, and outreach. We celebrate the stories of our shared past; connect the rich diversity of the 19th century to the present; and collaborate with the communities we serve to create welcoming spaces for learning, work, exploration, and play.
Click here to learn more about our expanded commitment to DEAI: https://www.gcv.org/deai/
Yes! We recommend bringing cash for tips for our performers – 100% of the cash tips will go directly into the hands of our guest performers.
Yes! This event is 21+ – guests will have access to a cash bar serving beer, wine, hard cider, and fun signature beverages.
Interested in exploring untold stories and supporting the lifting-up of historically under-represented narratives? Please consider supporting GCV&M and joining our community as a Member. Your support – whether by becoming a Member, making a donation, attending an event, exploring an exhibit, or even just helping spread the word on social media – allows us to continue to broaden our narrative and share a more expansive, more accurate representation of the Genesee Valley in the 19th century. Learn more about becoming a GCV&M Member: https://www.gcv.org/membership/
Parking is free and plentiful! Park in any of the main lots at the front of the Museum. Please leave the first two bays available for handicapped parking.
Please have your ticket(s) either printed out OR pulled up on your phone screen and ready for scanning for quick and easy check-in. Pro-tip: take a screenshot of each of your tickets to have ready and pulled up on your phone screen! Please note: Wifi can sometimes be spotty at the front of the Museum.
Yes! This event is rain or shine. The Museum will only cancel in case of a severe weather emergency.
Our cash bar in the Pavilion Garden Restaurant will be serving craft beer, wine, champagne, hard cider, and non-alcoholic beverages!
Please dress accordingly for the predicted weather conditions.
We also recommend that guests have fun with the concept! Drag is a fun and colorful event – please feel free dress accordingly!
Yes! Leashed service animals are welcome with proper identification.
Yes! Please make sure to purchase tickets online in advance – we anticipate that tickets for this event may sell quickly.
We’re sorry to hear that you’re not able to attend! Tickets for this event are strictly non-refundable.
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