WERRRK.com has proudly partnered up with the Austin International Drag Festival this year and we have been given the privilege of announcing this year’s headliners first! We are so excited about being a part of this amazing event this year and we cannot wait to bring you all the fabulous drag artists that are going to be headlining this year!
We are very excited to announce that Diana Fire will be headlining the Austin International Drag Festival this year! (Get your tickets here and join us in Austin this fall!)
Congratulations Diana Fire on being named a headliner! How did you get involved with the Austin International Drag Festival and what does this opportunity mean to you?
Thanks! I actually first started my drag career while I was living in Austin, and was fortunate enough to get to participate in the first ever Austin International Drag Festival. I have attended every year since then, and each year it gets better and better. I have had the opportunity to network with incredible performers from all over the world, and have developed some amazing friendships because of it. The Drag Festival is also how I ended up getting to audition for Camp Wannakiki, which has been a total game changer. To get to attend the festival this year as a headliner is a dream come true. My career began just prior to the first AIDF, and five years later I feel like I’ve “made it.”
For those people living under a rock, can you tell us a little bit about Diana Fire and your drag?
Well for starters, I am Portland’s Daddy Bear Drag Queen. My drag takes on many different forms, and pulls from a ton of influences. I was a dancer and theater kid in high school, went on to teach dance in college, and was assistant director of a dance company while I lived in Austin. When I later discovered that bearded drag was an option, all of these things sort of came together to create Diana Fire. She’s theatrical. She’s campy. She’s easy. She can be pretty. She can be spooky. She can dance (but her knees are bad, so she’s selective about that one). I also spent years as an ASL student and was later in a relationship with a Deaf man – I was immersed in the Seattle Deaf community for many years, so I often incorporate ASL in to my performances in an attempt to make drag more inclusive and accessible to more people.
We can’t wait to see what you’re planning on bringing to the stage in Austin! Can you give the WERRRK .com universe a little tease of what’s to come this fall in Texas?
My drag has evolved a lot just since last year’s festival. After being a contestant on Season 2 of Camp Wannakiki (now streaming on YouTube), I can assure you that my performances this fall will definitely amp up my camp! Things will be bigger, bolder, and have even more Diana Fire branding all over it!
