It’s not just any Mardi Gras this year – it’s Sydney World Pride 2023.
The not-for-profit festival, which will be incorporating Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will be held between February 7 to March 5 and include theatre, concerts, sports, parties, First Nations programming and a human rights conference.
WHO sat down with Anita Wigl’it to chat about her plans for the festival, what it was like working with RuPaul and what’s in store for 2023.
What can audiences expect from the World Pride edition of Drag Haus?
I think it’s a collection of some of the most amazing local performers and a couple of international ones thrown in. It’s going to be quite an amazing show to celebrate Drag. I could be wrong, but I think it’s one of the biggest, if not the biggest drag show as part of WorldPride this year.
How does the drag scene in Australia compared to other countries you’ve performed in?
I think that in Australia we’ve got a real love of ridiculousness, campness and silliness. So I think that our drag is very entertaining here, because of that. I also think our costumes – we’re not afraid to wear costumes, I think whereas overseas in America and Canada and places like that, are often very fashion-focused, where we can have a bit more fun. So I think that we just bring a ridiculous energy that is very unique to Drag.
And obviously, you starred in two series of RuPaul’s Drag race. What was it like working with RuPaul?
Yes, it was amazing! RuPaul was such an amazing person. Sort of like a taller and balder version of Oprah. Just so insightful and so knowledgeable and also so incredibly beautiful. You see her on TV all dressed up and she looks amazing, but in real life, she looks just as amazing. So it was such an honour to get to work alongside RuPaul.
And is a third return to the series on the cards?
Oh, I hope so! Never say never. If I get asked I would absolutely do it because it’s just so much fun. But who knows what the future holds?
Do you have a standout favourite memory or performance of your career?
My favourite one was performing at the Adele after-party for her world tour. It sounds more impressive than it was, Adele kind of left as we arrived to do the entertainment, but she saw us and said that we look beautiful. Myself and Kita Mean the winner of season one, we got to party with all of her producers and her backup singers in the band and it was just such a wonderful night to be part of Adele’s world. That’s when you kind of think like, ‘Oh, we’re kind of doing something good in our lives!’
Being a public figure, you’ve had to deal with a lot of public commentary on like all aspects of your life. How do you cope with that? And do you think you handle any negativity or critiques differently now compared to when you first entered the public spotlight?
Yeah, I think for sure. There are always going to be people who are negative, but the thing with being in the spotlight is you get a lot of online and a lot of online hate and things like that, luckily enough not too much. But for me, I just kind of ignore them – I don’t read the comments anymore. I used to read the comments to be like, ‘Oh, I wonder what people think,’ but then there would be a couple of good comments and a whole lot of bad ones. So I just sort of started ignoring it. I think that I also became a bit more sure of myself, thinking that well, it doesn’t really matter what other people think because it’s so easy to type something about someone. Whereas actually, as long as I’m proud of myself and the product that I’m giving off and I feel like I’m doing a good job, I’m the only one that matters really. And then people are either gonna love it or hate it regardless of the situation.
What other events or parts of WorldPride in Sydney are you excited about?
The whole thing really! I’m doing quite a lot of different things. I’m mostly doing corporate things this year. So a lot of hotels and lobbies and entertaining people and a lot more of the groundwork really. But I’m excited to be getting out there and meeting people in weird places like as I said hotel lobbies and that sort of thing. I’m just excited to be part of the environment and just soak it all up.
And World Pride aside, have you got anything else exciting in the works for 2023?
I do! After coming off the back of Canada VS the world, this is my year to be crazy. So I’ve got a lot of work in Australia this year which I’m really looking forward to, a lot of tours on my solo show Funny Girl and then I’m also going to some pretty cool places like, I believe back to Canada, The UK and America to do shows. So this is gonna be crazy!
For further information on Drag Haus: World Pride Edition and to purchase tickets, Click here.
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