Drag workshop at Arkansas Thespian Festival for high schoolers raises questions
“I was not aware of that festival and what went on there. I don’t think anybody here knew that was going on.” — State Rep. Jack Ladyman, R-District 32
The cosponsor of a new state law that regulates adult-oriented performances says he was unaware a drag dance workshop, which was attended by students from around the state, including Lakeside, was held at the Arkansas Thespians Festival in his district, but is seeking additional information about the event.
“I was not aware of that festival and what went on there,” said state Rep. Jack Ladyman, R-District 32, which includes much of Jonesboro and surrounding communities.
“I don’t think anybody here knew that was going on.”
Katie Brown, a senior at Lakeside High School helped plan the festival as a state thespian officer, attending weekly meetings to create the lineup.
The festival was hosted Feb. 8-10 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Jonesboro Red Wolf Convention Center and on the Arkansas State University campus, according to the event’s website.
While busy leading workshops for much of the festival, Brown was able to attend a few. Her favorite was one teaching her how to drag dance, led by Brian Curl, of Philadelphia.
“That was really cool,” Brown said. “I got to learn like a drag dance.” She called the workshop “fun.”
There were over 120 workshops at the three-day gathering in Jonesboro. The Sentinel-Record was unable to obtain a list of all the workshops.
“Obviously, I’m opposed to that,” Ladyman said. “Especially if the parents of the children that attended it, they didn’t know that that was part of the program. That’s my opinion on that, and I need to find out a little bit more about that.”
Act 131, passed during the last legislative session, placed restrictions on adult-oriented performances, but does not specifically single out drag performances. Instead, it defines such a performance as a show in which a person appears in a “state of nudity or is seminude.” An adult-oriented performance is also defined as featuring the purposeful exposure of “a specific anatomical area,” “prosthetic genitalia
or breasts” or a “specific sexual activity,” according to The Associated Press.
The act also bars such performances from drawing public funds, taking place on public property or admitting minors.
The original version of the bill, which aimed to define drag performance as an adult-oriented business, drew criticism from transgender and drag advocates, the AP reported. According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the bill was amended prior to being signed into law to remove any mention of drag performances.
The original bill, sponsored by Sen. Gary Stubblefield and Rep. Mary Bentley, was co-sponsored by 15 other senators and 13 representatives, including Sens. Alan Clark and Matt McKee, who both represent parts of Garland County. Ladyman was joined in co-sponsoring the act with Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Dwight Tosh, whose districts include Jonesboro.
“It is disappointing to find out that the Arkansas State Thespian Society recently allowed a drag performance workshop at the 2024 Arkansas Thespian Festival for students under the age of 18,” McKee said. “The use of any public funding to expose minors to this type of material is unacceptable, especially for a festival that is meant to celebrate the theatre arts and even more improper if done without parental notification. Arkansas has led the nation in protecting our minors from the LGBTQ agenda and we will continue to do so.”
Attendees ranged from eighth graders to high school seniors.
It is unclear whether the drag workshop took place on the ASU campus.
“Definitely, the parents need to know that that’s going on,” Ladyman said. “And also, they’re doing that on state property, which that needs to be thoroughly reviewed by a member before that’s approved.”
According to an email from Thomas Moore, director of university communications at ASU, “The Red Wolf Convention Center is associated with Embassy Suites by Hilton. This property is on land that is leased from the university. The university has no ownership of the hotel or convention center.”
“It was a third-party event organized by Arkansas Educational Theatre Association and I believe that their programming was held in rented or donated space in both the Red Wolf Convention Center and the Fowler Center,” Todd Clark, interim chief communications officer said via email.
Shane Broadway, vice president for university relations, says people rent space on campus every day but the staff is not involved in programming or scheduling.
“We wouldn’t really know what kind of workshops they had,” he said. “We wouldn’t have any reason to know.”
He said it’s “their responsibility to make sure they follow any laws that are applicable, laws that pertain to them. We don’t have the staff to monitor every conference or convention and what their workshops or breakout sessions may be.”
Broadway says the hotel and convention center is used most often, but the university is sometimes used as overflow. Sometimes other spaces on campus are booked but not actually used.
“I don’t know if they used any of our spaces or not,” he says.
Ladyman says he’s looked online and “couldn’t find anything on this year’s” annual event. He said he plans to do more research.
It was also unclear whether Curl received out-of-pocket funds from any of the schools or state institutions involved.
Several ASU leaders took part in the opening ceremonies, including Provost Calvin White, Chancellor Todd Shields and Director of the Fowler Center and Artistic Director of the ASU Theatre Department Dallas Martinez.
Arkansas Thespians, an affiliate of nonprofit Educational Theatre Association, had not responded to a request for comment by presstime.