Part of this year’s Soho Rising festival, Gabriel Harris’s new shoe He/He/He is on at Soho Upstairs on 13 Feb.
“After an award-nominated run at the Brighton Fringe, transgender DILF clown Indy Nile is bringing his solo show to Soho Theatre.
Featuring Microsoft PowerPoint, Shania Twain, and Lynx Africa, this is set to be the gender reveal party of the century. And you’re all invited.
A mash-up of drag, stand-up, and theatre, He/He/He is Indy Nile’s second-coming-of-age story. And there’s a lot he wants to get off his chest. Sorry.”
Ticket link: https://sohotheatre.com/events/gabriel-harris-he-he-he/
Gabriel tells us more about the show and the art of drag.
How did you first get into the industry, and were you always a performer?
I started getting into drag and cabaret when I was 19 and training at drama school. I’ve always had a fascination with comedy but was too scared to do it. I’d also wanted to explore my gender identity but was too scared to do it.
So, performing as a drag king felt like the perfect way to safely explore both avenues, and so Indy Nile was born!
After a few open mic performances, I entered The Gold Rush, a weekly drag competition that included some incredible performers, including current reigning Drag Race champion Kyran Thrax.
I somehow won the whole thing, which was such a huge step in getting into the industry.
He/He/He is described as “a mash-up of drag, stand-up, and theatre”. It sounds like fun and quite a party – why should people come to see it?
I think people should come and see it because it will get me out of my overdraft!
Apart from that, I think people should come and see it because it’s trans-led show that prioritises joy, silliness and messiness. Something that trans people aren’t often given the opportunity to freely show on stage.
Despite its light-hearted exterior, it still gives a genuine insight into the tangible and material challenges that trans people face. It’s honest, high energy, and hopefully quite funny. That last part is TBC.
‘Indy Nile’ is described as a ‘DILF clown’. Tell us about how he evolved and what he’d say about the show!
The essence of the DILF clown has pretty much stayed the same throughout the past few years, with some changes in performance content, and my relationship to the character.
When I first created the character, I exclusively performed in drag shows and would call myself a drag king. The more I performed as him, and the more confident I felt in my transition, the less I resonated with the term “drag king”.
I can’t really explain why, but the term “clown” seems to fit what I do better. He’s just a funny little guy in a polyester suit.
As for what he’d say about the show, he’d describe it as “an experience that aims to artfully slalom between humour and heart. An odyssey, if you will.” He’s so real for that.
Do you think the art of drag is in a good place at the moment? There are some fabulous venues and outlets around but is it enough?
I’ll start with the good – I love that drag kings are getting more visibility (although the pace is glacial).
I think people are finding it easier to separate Drag Race from the be-all-and-end-all of drag, and gender expression in drag is becoming more fluid, more creative, and more interesting.
I’ve been giving workshops on drag for a number of years, and the creativity I’ve seen is incredible.
BUT. Unless you’re a drag queen who looks Drag-Race ready and is willing to entertain hoards of hen parties, it’s incredibly hard for drag to be financially viable as a job.
There are some wonderful venues and grassroots shows all around London and the UK. But venue booking fees, lack of funding for producers to pay artists a decent fee, and lack of representation of different styles of drag on TV means that producing shows that allow creativity to truly shine is getting harder and harder.
Every year we’re mourning that loss of queer venues which showcase outstanding drag and cabaret artists. People just aren’t putting enough money into local drag, which means people must quash their creativity to pay rent.
Local drag shows have platformed some of the greatest drag acts I’ve ever seen – go and watch them!
The show is part of this year’s Soho Rising festival. How important has the support from Soho Theatre been to the development of the show?
Soho Theatre has been such an important part of developing the show. A large amount of material in He/He/He was created whilst I was doing the Comedy Plus Lab.
I’m grateful to have had a space to try out material with other comics (and most importantly – it was affordable!).
Festivals like Soho Rising also allow for newer artists to put on a show without putting a dent in their bank account.
What’s next after this show?
Sleep. And after that, I’d love to further develop this show and get some funding for an R&D, and to take it to Edinburgh.
I also want to put on some more cabaret rights that put silliness at the forefront, as well as writing comedy for screen.
I also want to do more work with other people, so if anyone wants a transsexual-DILF-clown to help develop their show, let me know!