Taking pride in drag
work he does now.
“She had me in high school,” he said. “She always worked hard to make sure that I had everything that I needed and could do the things that I wanted to do, have the life that I want and be able to pursue the career that I wanted.”
Growing up in Humble, a middle class suburb north of Houston, Ellisor acknowledged that he was sheltered from racism.
“I was a bit oblivious to race and society,” he said. “My mom kept me sheltered. I thought that I was the average kid. Race was always in my mind but it never really came to a forefront until I got older and moved to Atlanta.”
The move turned out to be a pivotal turning point for him.
“I saw so many successful black people,” he said. “I feel like Atlanta is a very black city and a very gay city. It welcomed me in a way that Houston didn’t, in some ways. Here, I found the opportunity to just be myself. It took me leaving home to be able to reinvent myself to become who I truly am.”
The caliber of the arts scene in Atlanta was a major positive for Ellisor.
“I came here to work in a dance compa- ny,” he said. “But when I got here, I realized that with my theater and vocal training, I could do more. I could make my own opportunities. In Atlanta, there are the classical institutions like the symphony, the ballet, the Alliance Theatre … but there’s also so much that’s happening underground. It’s sort of like buzzworthy to be an artist right now. People are coming out now and seeing this live art. It’s not really happening everywhere. We live in a digital age where you can just go online and watch things. But people in Atlanta really patronize the arts.”
When asked about the drag portion of his performance, Ellisor notes that respect for drag artists is at an all-time high.
“I appreciate that we are considered artists now as opposed to a sort of joke of what the gay/queer community represent,” he said. “We are now in theaters and venues instead of clubs and bars.”
Ellisor, who curates drag shows at Mary’s, takes pride in the work he does in drag.
“I get to help represent my community in a positive light and thrive through drag,” he said. “I get to share ideas with other artists and I have a voice in the community. I repre- sent the marginalized community in Atlanta and feel up for the challenge.”
The “On My Mind” thesis show at 7 Stages is the culmination of the skills in theater, music and dance that Ellisor has learned in his lifetime.
“For me, performance art should have a well-rounded arc,” he said. “When people come to see this, they will hopefully get to know a little bit about me as a queer black southern artist. And hopefully, that will open dialogue between me and my audience, my audience with each other and my audience to their circles after the performance is over. That’s how we can move along the process of being a more united community.”