San Francisco’s oldest LGBTQ bar The Stud has announced plans to create California’s first school dedicated to the art of performing drag.
The bar partnered with the arts organization CounterPulse and formed a non-profit to open what it has dubbed “The Stud School of Drag.”
Organizers say the goal is to tap into San Francisco’s rich history with drag, especially with The Stud being one of the city’s oldest drag venues.
“It was so important that we preserve some of San Francisco’s drag legacy,” said Honey Mahogany, a co-owner of The Stud and who will also be the school’s first Head Mistress.
Mahogany added that people don’t have to look far to find the city’s rich history with drag.
“People like Peaches Christ, Heklina, and Juanita and so many other people helped to shape San Francisco’s drag,” said Mahogany. “And so we wanted to honor that, honor San Francisco’s drag legacy and create a formal school so that people can get a sense of the unique history.”
The school will offer a curriculum centered around both performance and drag tradition.
“There is a lot that goes into drag,” added Mahogany. “I mean, I know we make it look easy. But it’s not. You know, everything from painting your face, putting on makeup and transforming yourself into a character or persona.”
People will have to be older than 21 in order to apply to the school. Classes will include the ancient and modern histories of drag, along with drag marketing and promotion.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
“We will be teaching people how to do all that because it’s not easy to learn more,” said Mahogany. “People rely on YouTube or, historically, it really has been passed on in an informal way from drag mother to drag daughter. So we want to formalize that process a little bit so that we can again preserve that rich history and legacy.”
The school will make a formal call for application after The Stud re-opens in its new spot early next year.
