TheBurg

20 | THEBURGNEWS.COM | 06.20 Michael Tschop/Felicia O'Toole e drag artist and Sundae Best co-founder Michael Tschop, more widely known as Felicia O'Toole, was used to performing eight to 10 drag performances a month. Weekends have been especially difficult. Losing physical proximity to their community as well as the live gigs felt like a sucker punch to the gut. But drag is still a labor of love. Felicia is a curious dive into their extroverted self, and a little bit of reinventing through video performance has resulted in some wildly entertaining "How To" videos. ey've helped quickly transition Sundae Best and Fruit Boots to a virtual platform with co-host, Mister Treats, as well as moving their solo event, "Boozy Bingo" at Zeroday to an online, weekly event instead of monthly. It's giving them and folks who tune in something to look forward to on ursday nights. Garrick Dorsett Garrick leans back in the chair on his front porch in Camp Hill and jokes that he is the mayor of the porch. It's almost the time of day when the neighborhood folks stroll by his house to walk their dogs. He's been spending a lot of time out there. Garrick is the coordinator of the graphic/interactive design and photography program at HACC, and he's had to finish teaching this semester's studio photography course over Zoom. He has sorely missed his classroom and workspace through shelter in place. His artwork is a steady consciousness stream of two-dimensional lines, a kind of haptic discovery that thrives in the energy of the academic environment that he leads. "It's really hard for me to say I'm not making anything." He's referring to his usual studio practice, but, in the next breath, tells me he's been whittling walking sticks for folks he knows, knife handles, and a slingshot to feed peanuts to the squirrels in his yard. "I don't know, I just really love straight sticks," he laughs. Gabe Taylor/Baby Flamingo Gabe is the youth programs coordinator at the LGBT Center and GLO, as well as a Sundae Best drag performer named "Baby Flamingo." ey also float between other artistic expressions— photography, jewelry making, music—but hate calling themself "an artist." Something about the label feels confining. Video drag performance was never something that really interested Gabe, but creating video performance for the virtual Fruit Boots event meant they could use music that would have otherwise proven difficult in a live setting and find deeper latitude with their drag character. As someone who is mindful about inclusion in organizing, they noticed that the way mediums have evolved into virtual events opens accessibility for disabled folks who previously were unable to participate. Access that was denied because it was not necessary for the larger group is now essential for the survival of not just art and performance, but a massive range of events. Realizing this moment is crucial to remembering to keep that access open as the community gradually moves out of shelter in place.

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