Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Alucard.
Hi Johnny, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Johnny Alucard, and I am a Maryland-based drag artist. I moved to Maryland in 2019 for work, and immediately fell in love with the robust art and diverse cultural scene in the region. While I was not new to visual art, having a background in printmaking, nor to the performing arts — as I grew up participating in local theater and student films while in school — I was new to drag. I had friends growing up that attended drag shows, but I myself had never been to one until I was invited by a college friend to an event at the Spy Museum within the first few weeks of moving to the area. I was immediately drawn to the art form, and was captivated by the immense talent, artistry, and confidence the drag artists performing used to express themselves while on stage. I decided then and there that I wanted to craft my own drag persona and perform for an audience at some point in the future. I set to work, thinking of songs, practicing routines, in anticipation of auditioning for my friend’s next event; however, the global pandemic emerged and put those plans on hold. While self-isolating, I began building friendships with other queer folks in the area, and continued to shape what was to become my drag persona. Eventually, when I began socializing in person again, I learned that one of the friends I met was a local drag king — King Molasses — and I started attending their shows. We spoke at length about the drag persona I was creating, and the type of story I wanted to tell. In 2023, while supporting an all king drag brunch hosted by King Molasses, they announced that I would be a guest performer in their next show, “Banshees,” the rock and roll drag show at JR’s Bar in Washington DC. The show was on Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31, 2023) — a day of significance for the transgender community. Having recently come out as transmasculine at the time, this was incredibly meaningful to me, and I’m honored that “Johnny” shares his birthday with such an important date. I practiced, practiced, practiced ahead of my debut performance, and I still remember the first dollar I was handed while performing — I couldn’t believe it was real. Three years went into planning and crafting my drag persona before my first performance, and I was so honored to share that with the local community. From there, while on a work trip, I decided to apply for a four-week, local DC-based drag competition, “Dupont Dynasty,” hosted by Logan Stone. I did not think my application would be accepted, having only performed once, but I wanted to use it as an opportunity to challenge myself and my creativity (the worst they can say is “no,” right?). I was so surprised when I learned that my application was accepted, and I knew I had to give it my all. I’m so grateful for my partner, who was with me the whole time, as we worked together to customize costumes, props, set pieces and more. I couldn’t have done it without him. The competition was quite challenging on top of working full time, and there were many sleepless nights spent crafting. At the end of the four weeks, I was crowned the winner of Season 5, and the first drag king to ever win the competition. But, what’s more, I came out of the competition with new skills, valuable feedback, and friends in the community whose friendships I especially cherish.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Things haven’t always been smooth in terms of my drag career. After my first performance on March 31, 2023, I didn’t have any other bookings for other drag shows in the area. It was hard to leave my mark, and I wasn’t really comfortable reaching out to folks about performance opportunities. My debut performance absolutely had some rocky moments, and I knew I could continue to improve my craft and sharpen my skills. I continued to work on that in the background while supporting friends in local shows. It was hard not to get dismayed or feel like I did a poor job during my first show, and was worried that another opportunity would never come. When the applications for “Dupont Dynasty” were announced later that spring, for the June competition, I decided to take a chance to again make my mark. I was, and am still, so grateful for the opportunity as it really set the course for my drag career. I learned so much and continue to learn with each new performance.
On a separate, yet related note, I do want to take this moment to highlight that drag kings are often overlooked and receive fewer booking opportunities than drag queens. I’ve met so many people who have never seen a drag king perform, or even know that drag kings existed, yet, when we take the stage, they are elated and want more. I value the great diversity in the amount of immense drag artistry we have in the greater DMV region, and believe that drag shows should strive to book diverse drag artists — queens, kings, and those who do not identify as drag queens or kings — really using their platform to highlight, uplift, and celebrate that diversity. This also means that drag shows should not feature an all white cast, as Black and Brown drag artists often receive fewer booking opportunities than white drag artists. For white drag artists, we should continue to use our privilege to call in show producers who do not book a diverse cast, and should ensure that shows reflect the beautiful diversity of our local drag community.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My answer is a bit two-fold. I believe that I’m most known as a drag artist who loves storytelling, and employs the use of props. My partner and I have made many props for my performances, including a wood coffin that I was carried out in for another local competition I participated in, and was very honored to win — “Spookiest Ghoul,” hosed by Desiree Dik. In addition to props for my performances, we’ve also made props for other local drag artists and it is such a rewarding experience seeing these incredibly talented artists style looks and perform with their props.
The second part of the answer is related to the first, but has taken on a life of its own, in a sense.
In January 2024, my partner and I set about creating a tv-head prop for a local drag show in early February. The prop was based on a character from an, at the time, newly released adult animated musical show. When I performed, very few people in the audience had seen the animated show, and I remember someone came up to me afterwards and said something along the lines of, “I don’t know what this is from, or what you were doing, but it looks cool.” Exactly a week later, my lovely drag wife, Sirène Noir Sidora Jackson, invited me to attend Katsucon with her (an anime convention in Maryland). I decided to attend as the tv-headed character in question as there was a planned fan meet-up for the show during the convention. I barely made it to the meet-up, having just flown back from San Fransisco that afternoon for work, but I was so thrilled that I did. The feedback I received from folks at the convention was incredible, and I made so many new friends from all over the world. My partner and I went on to attend 11 conventions in 2024, made the character’s six canonical outfits (at the time), and I got to meet so many incredible people, including other fabulous artists, folks who worked on the animated show, the voice actors, and even the creator. I would never have guessed that, by staying up all night on January 19, 2024, in a moment where my creative gears wouldn’t let me fall asleep (rattling my brain as to how I could translate this tv-headed character into a drag performance) would have led to a renewed interest in attending conventions and cosplaying characters, something that I had done a lot when I was growing up, but less so as an adult. Since then, we’ve attended more conventions, made even more outfits, and my entire arm has a tattoo sleeve of the tv-headed character (done by my amazing friend Nikki Rex who I met at a convention in Las Vegas)! This single prop certainly changed my personal and professional life and I’m so grateful.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Speaking from my personal experience, I view each performance opportunity as an opportunity to learn. I’m very appreciative of my partner who records all of my performances so that I can watch them to learn what I can improve on the next time I perform. It is a personal tool that really helps me to gauge my growth as an artist. I also have learned to not take myself so seriously — mistakes happen — sometimes you notice them, but the audience doesn’t. Sometimes the audience does, but that’s OK. It is important to give yourself grace. It’s OK if a reveal doesn’t go as planned, or a prop breaks — how you adapt and recover is important. Have fun while you’re performing. If you’re having fun, the audience will have fun too.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/heyitsjohnnyalucard
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyitsjohnnyalucard
