Drag artists give Fourways a show to remember
Shenay O'Brien and her drag performance partner Lyz Dexia became the life of the party during their performance in Fourways.
When Shenay O’Brien decided to go on a quest to find who she truly is a few years ago – she did not have any idea that she would find a hobby which later became her lifelong career. She tells us she was mainly having fun when she applied a killer face beat and put on a wig and lovely dress to step into her drag persona.
“I started drag in 2009 as a way of exploring my sexuality, gender identity, and finding who I was as a person. At the time I was also in my first year in university. I honestly did not think it would carry on that long. It was something purely dabbled in just to come to terms with who I was and what I wanted to be.
What I love about drag is the fact that it allows you to step into someone else’s shoes and allows me the opportunity to look at life from a unique perspective. I love seeing people’s faces with every drag look and performance that I do, and people cannot really imagine that it is a man who is in a dress, makeup, wig, and heels that literally run up and down on stage with so much energy.”
Shenay had fans gasping for air and wanting more as she set the stage on fire during a performance at Molly Malones restaurant on November 2, in Fourways. They served all kinds of fabulosity with their looks. She tells us this was her third show called ‘Life is a Drag’ with her new show partner, Lyz Dexia.
“The turnout was absolutely incredible; the mood was screaming party! It was just people who were out there to have fun. It was just people coming to the show just to forget a little bit about the serious stuff and just live in that moment and were transported into the world of glam, sassy, comedy, you know that queen realness. It was just a show that was completely fun.”
When asked how receptive the community in Fourways is to drag performers, she tells us, they are still faced with a number of challenges, “It is still an art form that is misunderstood. I think people see a man in a dress and conclude ‘oh he wants to be a woman’ and that is really not the case. There is still a very big stereotype in general not only in Fourways when it comes to drag. I think there is still a lot of light that needs to be shed on those challenges. Another challenge is that there are not enough spaces for drag artists to be able to perform in safe and inclusive environments.”
She describes her drag persona as fierce, sassy, glam, and pageant queen. “She has an eye for something that always shines and sparkles. She likes beautiful makeup and composes elegant looks, although sometimes when we do shows, it gets a bit more on the risque side. I do not like to box my drag but go where my mood, emotions and creativity guide me.”
Outside drag, Shenay is an actor, singer, creative, MC as well as a voiceover artist. She is an entertainer who has been in the industry for 14 years, “I have done various theatre productions, television, corporate events, and live performances all over South Africa.”
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