Arts & Entertainment
Boulet Brothers crown drag king winner of ‘Dragula’ season 3


Landon Cider, the first drag king to ever compete in a televised drag competition series in the United States, last week set another precedent by winning the season of the show he was cast in.
Cider made history in August when the Boulet Brothers cast him in the third season of their competition reality series “Dragula.” At the time, he told The Advocate, “I am a proud cis woman, lesbian and drag king. AFAB [assigned female at birth] drag performers share the same length of history with queens, fill our communities with incredible artistry, and I am honored to be just one in an infinite sea of talent.”
He also acknowledged Hollow Eve, another contestant, saying, “Hollow and I are shattering glass ceilings. So grab a shard, AFABs, cause we’re all coming for blood!”
Eve was also assigned female at birth but describes themselves as a “post binary drag socialist.”

The Boulet Brothers “Dragula” was developed by the popular drag club promoters from their long-running club event of the same name. The showoperates as a reality competition series similar to “RuPaul’s Drag Race, but with a unique twist: the contestants compete to be crowned “the world’s next drag super monster,” taking part in horror-themed challenges to prove to the judges that they are the most evil, grotesque and talented queen of the season.
For the final challenge, the three remaining competitors (Cider, Dollya Black and Priscilla Chambers) were told to create and perform in three looks for a self-designed floor show that adhered to the three “principles” of “Dragula” – filth, horror and glamour.
Both Black and Chambers impressed the judges with their respective looks, but Cider dazzled with his three looks. For “glamour,” Cider appeared in a Met Gala-inspired suit, bedecked from head to toe in shimmering black jewels; for “filth,” Cider appeared shirtless in torn-up boxers, eating what looked like moldy food and making out with a sex doll; and for “horror,” Cider appeared as a nightmare version of the Tin Man from “Wizard of Oz,” mutilating a dead body with his axe and eating the corpse’s remains.
At the end of the challenge, the Boulet Brothers announced Cider as the winner, and asked him to spread their message of “drag, filth, horror and glamour.” As Cider walked the stage, a bucket of blood was dumped on his head, referencing the iconic scene from “Carrie” as he laughed maniacally into the camera.
All 10 episodes of “Dragula”season 3 are now available on Amazon Prime Video.
Theater
A hilarious ‘Twelfth Night’ at Folger full of ‘elegant kink’
Nonbinary actor Alyssa Keegan stars as Duke Orsino

‘Twelfth Night’
Through June 22
Folger Theatre
201 East Capitol St., S.E.
$20-$84
Folger.edu
Nonbinary actor Alyssa Keegan (they/them)loves tapping into the multitudes within.
Currently Keegan plays the melancholic Duke Orsino in Folger Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy “Twelfth Night.” Director Mei Ann Teo describes the production as “sexy, hilarious, and devastating” and full of “elegant kink.”
Washington-based, Keegan enjoys a busy and celebrated career. Her vast biography includes Come From Away at Ford’s Theatre; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Helen Hayes Award, Best Actress) and Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive, both at Round House Theatre; Diana Son’s Stop Kiss directedby Holly Twyford for No Rules Theatre Company; and Contractions at Studio Theatre, to name just a few.
In addition to acting, Keegan works as a polyamory and ethical non-monogamy life and relationship coach, an area of interest that grew out of personal exploration. For them, coaching seems to work hand in hand with acting.
WASHINGTON BLADE: You’re playing the lovesick Orsino in Twelfth Night. How did that come about?
ALYSSA KEEGAN: The director was looking to cast a group of actors with diverse identities; throughout auditions, there were no constraints regarding anyone’s assigned sex at birth. It was really a free for all.
BLADE: What’s your approach to the fetching, cod-piece clad nobleman?
KEEGAN: Offstage I identify as completely nonbinary; I love riding in this neutral middle space. But I also love cosplay. The ability to do that in the play gives me permission to dive completely into maleness.
So, when I made that decision to play Orsino as a bio male, suddenly the part really cracked open for me. I began looking for clues about his thoughts and opinions about things like his past relationships and his decision not to date older women.
Underneath his mask of bravura and sexuality, and his firmness of feelings, he’s quite lonely and has never really felt loved. It makes sense to me why his love for Olivia is so misguided and why he might fall in love with the Cesario/Viola character.
BLADE: As an actor, do you ever risk taking on the feelings of your characters?
KEEGAN: Prior to my mental health education, yes, and that could be toxic for me. I’ve since learned that the nervous system can’t tell the difference between real emotional distress and a that of a fully embodied character.
So, I created and share the Empowered Performer Project. [a holistic approach to performance that emphasizes the mental and emotional well-being of performing artists]. It utilizes somatic tools that help enormously when stepping into a character.
BLADE: Has changing the way you work affected your performances?
KEEGAN: I think I’m much better now. I used to have nearly debilitating stage fright. I’d spend all day dreading going onstage. I thought that was just part of the job. Now, I’ve learned to talk to my body. Prior to a performance, I can now spend my offstage time calmly gardening, working with my mental health clients, or playing with my kid. I’m just present in my life in a different way.
BLADE: Is Orsino your first time playing a male role?
KEEGAN: No. In fact, the very first time I played a male role was at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Va. I played Hipolito in Thomas Middleton’s The Revenger’s Tragedy.
As Hipolito, I felt utterly male in the moment, so much so that I had audience members see me later after the show and they were surprised that I was female. They thought I was a young guy in the role. There’s something very powerful in that.
BLADE: Do you have a favorite part? Male or female?
KEEGAN: That’s tough but I think it’s Maggie the Cat. I played the hyper-female Maggie in Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at Round House. In the first act she didn’t stop talking for 51 minutes opposite Gregory Wooddell as Brick who barely had to speak. That lift was probably the heaviest I’ve ever been asked to do in acting.
BLADE: What about Folger’s Twelfth Night might be especially appealing to queer audiences?
KEEGAN: First and foremost is presentation. 99% of the cast identify as queer in some way.
The approach to Shakespeare’s text is one of the most bold and playful that I have ever seen. It’s unabashedly queer. The actors are here to celebrate and be loud and colorful and to advocate. It’s a powerful production, especially to do so close to the Capitol building, and that’s not lost on any of us.

The Washington Blade hosted the inaugural WorldPride Boat Parade at The Wharf DC on Friday, June 6. NBC4’s Tommy McFly served as the emcee.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)























The 2025 Capital Pride Honors awards ceremony and gala reception was held at the National Building Museum on Thursday, June 5. Honorees included Cathy Renna, Jerry St. Louis, Ernest Hopkins, Lamar Braithwaite, Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Kriston Pumphrey, Gia Martinez, Kraig Williams and SMYAL. Presenters and speakers included U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Amber Ruffin, Raven-Symoné and Paul Wharton.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)


































