We recently had the chance to connect with Clint Torris and have shared our conversation below.
Clint , so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
Drag is misunderstood by the general public and media. People often say harmful and hateful things about drag artists, but drag is just that; art. Drag is performance art, gender expression, costume design, dance and movement, comedy, lip synching, ready stories or anything else you can dream of. There are so many ways to do drag.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Clint Torris. If you don’t get it, you’ve never found it. I’m a drag king, performing artist, and producer in the Triangle area. I’m from North Carolina and have been acting, dancing, singing and sewing since childhood. In 2019, I began using these skills as a drag king. If you don’t know what a drag king is, you’re missing out. Drag kings tend to perform masculinity, but drag can be any type of gender performance. For me, I perform a mix of femininity, masculinity and androgyny. My drag is queer, disabled and always a stimulating experience.
Throughout my career as a drag king, I have had to adapt my drag to meet my access needs. I use mobility aids, chair choreography, and shorter songs to accommodate myself. I also work to accommodate other performers and audience members. I work with venues that are accessible for people who use mobility aids, like Arcana in Durham. I’ve worked with a local organization, Queer the Air Collective, to filter the air at the most recent shows, as well as providing masks at the door. I’ve worked with other disabled artists to produce and host these shows, including Seymour Booti and Delta Moonfire.
I am producing one more show this year in Raleigh. King of Kings: A New Testament will be held September 7th at the Portal HQ in Raleigh. This is a drag king competition show featuring religious themes. This show is for drag kings to express themselves and heal religious trauma on the stage. I will also be performing in Reveal: A Masquerade for Mental Health at Chapel of Bones on October 3rd, and Hush Little Horror Circus Show on October 12th at Motorco. If you’ve never seen a drag kings, now is your chance!
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My grandmother has always seen me. She likes to say that she always knew I’d be a performer since I was a baby scream singing the Little Mermaid. She has supported me at every stage of my life. She’s in her 70s, and she continues to support me through life changes like my gender identity, name, and who I love. She asked my what it means to be nonbinary and I explained to her that I don’t feel like a man or woman, but sometimes both or neither. She said “I think I’m nonbinary too!” When I travel for shows, I stay with her when I can. She loves to see me get into drag and always want pictures!
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
My disabilities keep me in pain. Using that pain as power is a long road that I’m still on. Once I accepted that I’m not getting better, I began to accommodate myself. I started using mobility aids and braces. I used to be embarrassed about using a cane or wheelchair. Having people stare at you unprompted or ignore you altogether takes some getting used to. Now, I know I am visible and I can use that visibility as power. I dress how I want to dress because people are looking anyway, might as well give them a show. Being visible as a queer disabled person isn’t just having people look at me on the street. It’s having other queer and disabled people see me on stage and seeing themselves. It’s inspiring people to decorate their mobility aids, try performing or even try drag!
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My friends would say that accessibility and creation matter most to me. I strive to create accessible shows and experiences in addition to advocating for my own access needs wherever I go. Everyone should have access to the world around them.
I also love to make things. I always have. I really value the process of creating a new costume, prop or act and I get so excited to reveal the final product. Creation is a great way to bring people together. Sometimes friends help me with my incredibly ambitious projects, and a quick craft is always a fun way to spend time with friends and community.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I am doing what I was born to do. I’ve always been a creative person and a performer. That creativity has taken many forms over my life, and now I express it through drag.
Over the years I have been in choirs, art classes, dance and theatrical productions. I have directed, produced, costumed and acted in all sorts of stage productions in my life. Now, I use all of those skills in drag. Drag is the culmination of all of my creativity shifted into one medium. Drag is so exciting to me because it can be so many things and there are always new ideas to try.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @kingclinttorris
- Facebook: Clint Torris
- Other: [email protected]
