When attending a drag show, most don’t expect to be pulled into the show by the queens for blind millennial gay club karaoke and a minutelong thrifted fashion contest, but Funktastic with Liz Anga is far from your typical drag show.
Local drag queen Liz Agna hosted Funktastic with Liz Agna: Fort Collins’ Okay-est Drag Show Saturday, Feb. 10, at Funktional, a boutique thrift store owned by Eco-Thrift in Fort Collins, with special guests Vegina Quartz, Jam Eden and Diddly Squat.
“I chose Funktional for my venue of choice because I wanted to both support a local business that values community engagement, and also I wanted an eclectic space that wasn’t just the traditional bar or club,” Liz Agna said.
Funktional describes itself as a space for radical reuse.
“I have also gotten to partner with collectives and individuals like Funktional, such as The Art Mart and The Love Shack, … to foster more community engagement and growth between the drag scene and the local art scene and locally run businesses,” Liz Agna said.
“I’ve always been a loud, dramatic gay kid. Being able to put some makeup on my face, fake boobs, big hair and be unfiltered is all I ever dreamed in life.” -Vegina Quartz, drag queen
Fort Collins has a thriving drag scene with opportunities for fans and performers both new and experienced to enjoy. Despite its tagline — “Fort Collins’ Okay-est Drag Show” — Funktastic’s all-age accessibility and unique venue keep members of the community coming back every month.
“I love that it’s at a nontraditional venue like Funktional,” attendee Ella Smith said. “It was not my first time going to one of those shows; I’ve been to almost every one. I love local drag and the community that comes with it.”
The show is broken into two sections with an intermission in the middle to allow attendees to take advantage of the mocktail bar and thrift catalog and to support local artists, one of Liz Agna’s main goals with these Funktastic shows.
“I want my show to showcase a diverse set of drag from Northern Colorado as well as across the state,” Liz Agna said. “Over the course of nine months, I have been able to give 30 different performers a platform here in Fort Collins.”
One of these performers is queen Vegina Quartz, who celebrated her first year of drag at this show. She made her drag debut last February at The Lyric‘s annual Valentine’s Day drag show, X’s and Ho’s.
Vegina Quartz described her drag style as “campy cunt” and completely unique to her.
“I’ve always been a loud, dramatic gay kid,” Vegina Quartz said. “Being able to put some makeup on my face, fake boobs, big hair and be unfiltered is all I ever dreamed in life.”
Liz Agna never themes her Funktional shows, as she wants each performer to stand out, showing off their best and what makes them different. For Liz Agna, that is being a self-proclaimed Body Positive Gender Inventor in her drag.
“My drag aesthetic is very loud, colorful, shiny, with inspiration from ’60s and ’70s fashion,” Liz Agna said. “I am a high-energy performer. I love to kick and split and spin all over the stage. I’m not afraid to show skin or curves or hair.”
The Funktastic host and creator finished the night with her equally glamorous and humorous performance of “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” by Celine Dion, earning cheers, tips and praise from the whole house.
“I would highly recommend that everyone and their mom go to at least one drag show,” Smith said. “They all put their whole pussies into their numbers, and being in a space where your queerness is not only accepted but welcomed is amazing.”
Reach Sophia Masia at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @sophie_masia.
