Coffeehouse Chronicles #175: What a Drag! Chronicles of Drag

Curated by Michal Gamily and Brian Belovitch
Moderated by Benjamin Gillespie
Performers and panelists: Agosto Machado, Stephen Tashjian, Michael Lynch, Mark Oleszko, Joe E Jeffreys, Michael Musto, Rachel Rampleman, Jimmy Camicia, Elyssa Goodman, Shelly Mars, and more to be announced

Brian Belovitch (he,him) is an actor, author, public speaker and mental health professional. He has a storied career as a writer and gender outlier. He was a featured guest on The Moth Storytelling Hour on NPR relating a story from his critically acclaimed memoir, Trans Figured: My Journey from Boy to Girl to Woman to Man. During the height of the NYC club scene frenzy in the mid 80’s he lived as a vivacious trans woman. As Tish Gervais, he was breaking barriers as a nightclub performer at the Limelight, Palladium, Pyramid, Studio 54, Area and Danceteria as the “Bombshell of Rock n Roll.” As an actor he’s appeared on New York stages for more than three decades in various theatrical incarnations, most notably as a member of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company. Last Fall he appeared in Twisted, as Lavinia Monteblanc De La Croix in a new play at Theatre for the New City in NYC. His appearance as Alice, First Lady of the Earth in Conquest of the Universe, or When Queens Collide by Charles Ludlam at LaMama marked the 50th anniversary of the Ridiculous. In 2019, Brian was a recipient of the Acker Award for writing that is given annually to East Village, NY avant- garde artists. As a playwright, his groundbreaking Off-Broadway play, Boys Don’t Wear Lipstick, was honored with a 2000 GLAAD nomination. Most recently he can be seen in Julio Torres directorial film debut, Problemista. In June 2019, Brian was named one of the 50 most influential LGBTQ authors of all time by Barnes and Noble and participated in the 50th anniversary of Stonewall Gay Pride Parade in New York City. Brian is also the subject of a documentary film that made its world premiere at DOC NYC titled; I’m Gonna Make You Love Me directed by Karen Bernstein. He’s a frequent guest on multiple podcasts such as Ebony & Ivory with Lady Bunny and Monet Exchange and Night Fever with World of Wonder hosts James St. James and Fenton Bailey. Brian holds a Master Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Hunter College and had the unprecedented honor of delivering the commencement speech to the class of 2022. Presently, Brian works in private practice where he utilizes his lived experience as a cis gay man of trans experience to help others who are exploring their own identity journeys. As a long-term survivor of HIV Brian lives proudly as an out beloved gay man, advocating on behalf of the LGBTQIA+ community in all its wondrous expressions. Insta: @transfiguredbook @im_listeningtoo

Benjamin Gillespie (PhD) teaches theatre, communication, & gender studies at Baruch College, CUNY. He is co-editor of the Journal of American Drama and Theatre. His essays and reviews on queer theatre and performance histories have been published in a wide range of journals and anthologies. He is currently editing two books: Split Britches: Fifty Years On and Late Stage: Theatrical Perspectives on Age and Aging, both to be published by the University of Michigan Press in 2025.

Michael Lynch has been performing since the age of thirteen, he is a founding member of TOSOS Theater Company founded by Doric Wilson and was a member of Peter Brooks' ICTR (The Ik), a member of Great Jones Rep, attended the High School of Performing Arts, NYSF Festival: Ti-Jean and His Brothers by Derek Walcott, House of Lear, Silence, Cunning, Exile, Street Theater by Doric Wilson (TOSOS Theater), Leaving the Blues (TOSOS Theater).

Lyra Vega is a New York City drag artist based out of Manhattan, New York with a passion for live music. With a name that is derived from the Lyra constellation of a harp from Greek mythology, she combines her musical abilities with a cosmic aesthetic. As a full-time performer, Lyra has weekly shows at various Queer venues, including The Stonewall Inn, Monster Bar, Red Eye, and The Ice Palace on Fire Island, among others. She also works frequently with her all-Drag band, The Bad Judies. You can find her on Instagram for all show dates and more info at @itslyravega.

Rachel Rampleman creates bodies of work that explore gender, artifice, and spectacle. Utilizing directorial, curatorial, and anthropological processes, she showcases exuberantly irrepressible personalities who revel in challenging clichés and taboos to rethink and reimagine the gender construct. A sampling of subjects include Girls Girls Girls - the world's first and only all-female Mötley Crüe tribute band, and Tazzie Colomb - the world's longest competing professional female bodybuilder. With her current project "Life is Drag", she is documenting the most singular and innovative performers of the currently exploding alt-drag and neo-burlesque scenes. This ongoing and ever evolving project is the largest digital archive of drag in the United States, with over 350 performances.

Elyssa Maxx Goodman is a New York-based writer and photographer specializing in non-fiction writing and documentary photography. Her book Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City is out now from Hanover Square Press. It was named a 2024 Stonewall Honor Book for the Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Book Award, one of Vogue’s Best LGBTQ+ Books of 2023, one of Booklist’s Best History Books of 2023, and is currently shortlisted for a Lambda Literary Award in LGBTQ+ Nonfiction. Elyssa's writing and photography have also been published in Vogue, Vanity Fair, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, The New Yorker, them., InsideHook, Artforum, Elle, VICE, New York, i-D, and many others.