PHOTOS BY CHARLENE MANN PHOTOGRAPHY AND MICHELE ASHLEE
Recently Rochester Woman Online got to have some fun with some of the fabulous “Queens” of ROAR Nightclub. From getting to see behind the scenes, to the hysterical conversations and laughs, to chatting about what got them started and keeps them going, we are proud to bring you 4 of Rochester Woman’s favorite Diva’s starting with Roar’s owner and creator and veteran drag queen himself, DeeDee Dubois.
DEEDEE DUBOIS
Who is DeeDee Dubois?
DeeDee is an outgoing, fun character that doesn’t take things too seriously.
How did you come up with your stage name?
From the RuPaul Book of Drag! But it’s fitting cause my first name and middle name both start with D’s… and Dubois is French and I have a lot of French in my ancestry!
How long have you been performing and how did you get started?
I’ve been performing for like 23 years… after coming out at 18 and going to LGBTQ+ establishments my friend group and I started playing with makeup and looks when we’d go out on Saturday nights. It became a fun escape from my week day job. Eventually I started hanging out with some other people that performed and did drag and they helped me learn the tricks of the trade and where to buy things and such… remember, back then there wasn’t Amazon or the internet for you to order things… it was harder to find the stuff you wanted/needed to actually look good in drag!
Tell us a little about yourself…where did you grow up? married? kids? what type of business are you in?
I grew up in Brockport, NY and spent many weekends even further west in Albion with my cousins and family. I loved riding motorcycles and three wheelers (those aren’t even around anymore), I’m the oldest of like 13 cousins on my dad’s side and we were all very close growing up. At the ripe old age of 21 I met my now husband Matt, we lived in the City of Rochester for 12 years, then moved to Irondequoit and we got married in 2013. I always thought I wanted kids, but I actually wanted to be a kid so we never adopted or explored that very seriously. Matt and I have had two dogs, Pride, who died at the age of 14, and then we got Buoy and he’s currently 5 years old. Type of business? My professional job is in the HVAC industry, I’ve worked for the same company since I was 19 years old… I do finance and accounting.
What is your most favorite performance of all time?
My most memorable performances… they’ve changed over the years. It used to be when I was asked to perform at the Miss Gay Rochester pageant… the reason that’s so special is because I’ve never entered the pageant or won any pageant, yet I was still asked to perform, which to be honest, I’m not sure many (if any) have had that honor of performing without having won a title before. The last performance at TILT was pretty memorable and sad… it was exciting to see so many people there, it was a hard last performance for me cause I didn’t know what the future would hold and I had bottled up a lot of emotions and things related to TILT for many years. Now my favorite and most memorable performance would be the opening weekend performances at Roar…. My perspective on stage is totally different now when you are performing at a venue that you co-own and created.
If you could take 1 thing you liked best from each of the other cover “Queens” what would it be?
If you could take 1 thing you liked best from each of the other cover “Queens” what would it be?
Um… well Eva… she doesn’t sweat… like literally she doesn’t and I’m jealous of her for that! HAHA.
Deelicious: I’d love to steal her rhythm, no one moves like Deelicious!
Vega: I wish I had the drive that she has, always recreating and working on her craft, sometimes it makes me feel lazy.
Tell us about ROAR and how it was started…
Roar was started cause TILT kicked us out so they could “change formats” into the “New Tilt” which wasn’t going to have drag, and it was obvious it didn’t care much about the LGBT community. Things didn’t go as planned when the community expressed it’s outrage, and Tilt ended up changing their name and reopening. DJ Mighty Mic and I had worked together for 20+ years at different venues, we’ve always had a mutual respect for each other. We saw a need in the Rochester’s LGBTQ+ community and neither of us were ready to stop playing, so we decided to try and do something ourselves… it wasn’t until Danny from Photo City showed us the space that is now Roar that we actually decided to move forward, and it was from the pushing of our husbands that we actually did it.
How long does it take you to get all ready for a performance?
If I’m rushing I can get ready in about an hour and 15 minutes, but usually it take about an hour and a half.
What are you like outside of the persona of DeeDee?
David and DeeDee are pretty much the same person these days. I used to have two totally separate lives, but since Roar, it’s become pretty much the same!
Where do you see yourself, and DeeDee in 3 years? 5 years?
Well it’s funny cause 3 years ago I would have never seen me co-owning an establishment! So who knows what the future will bring…. I mean 2020 brought us COVID… so I guess I’m just along for the ride… I’m having fun, and proud of what we are doing at Roar. I enjoy my day job and I try and balance it out all with a little personal time with our friends and family.
What is one thing that no one really knows about you?
Wow… I think I’m kind of an open book, especially these days… up until Roar, not many people knew what I looked like out of drag.
Who is your most favorite Drag Queen of all times?
It will seem cliché to say this since we both wear a lot of glitter, but I’ve always admired Ambrosia Salad… bright colors, big costumes and always humble and kind.
What is your signature song, color, and pose?
Signature artists would be Pink and Kesha… signature color, no such thing for me, ALL the colors! Signature pose… that would be my right foot kick and sometimes it appears like I’m performing in a box (it’s hard to explain).
If there was 1 thing you could do over, what would it be and why?
If I could do it all again, I think about 5 years ago I would have started looking at opening my own place… I’m not sure if it would have happened, but having done it now I wish I had done it sooner.bright colors, big costumes and always humble and kind.
What is your signature song, color, and pose?
Signature artists would be Pink and Kesha… signature color, no such thing for me, ALL the colors! Signature pose… that would be my right foot kick and sometimes it appears like I’m performing in a box (it’s hard to explain).
If there was 1 thing you could do over, what would it be and why?
If I could do it all again, I think about 5 years ago I would have started looking at opening my own place… I’m not sure if it would have happened, but having done it now I wish I had done it sooner.
SAMANTHA VEGA
Who is Samantha Vega?
Vega is that old lady at the independent living home who still likes to go out dancing and having a cocktail or two. Delightfully delusional. That grandma who swears at the thanksgiving table. She used to be a singer, but she now lipsyncs everything at the lounge bar she works at, and if she shakes her ass a little nobody notices that she doesnt know the words.
What made you become a drag queen?
In the 90’s I was a student at RIT and we were organizing the first ever drag show in a college in the area. We had invited the queens from Club Marcella, and the day before the event we were told the queens were not coming. I went from organizer, to performer. Made an emergency trip to Fredericks of Hollywood in Marketplace Mall and borrowed stuff from girls in my dorm. I kept insisting this would be a one-time thing. Once I hit the stage, I was hooked. Samantha had been born!
Tell us a little about yourself…where did you grow up? married? kids? what type of business are you in?
I grew up in Venezuela, went to HS in Wilbraham, MA. Was married to a woman, we had a son. I was later “married” to a man (marriage equality had not been passed) and he left the earth due to complications of HIV/AIDS/HEPC. Since Scott’s passing, I became an advocate and a volunteer with HIV/AIDS organizations. For over 16 years I had been working with AIDS Rochester (Now Trillium Health) doing HIV and STI testing, education and outreach. I am also a community organizer, most notably working in the ROC Pride committee for many years.
What is your most favorite performance of all time?
My favorite performances have been when I competed (and eventually won) the Miss Gay Rochester Pageant. The process of preparing for competition is very fulfilling: creating costumes, choreographing, rehearsing with friends and chosen family. The final products were always something I was very proud of. My all time favorite is a performance of “Morning Person” from Shrek the musical. I get to tap dance, do costume changes, and portray a character to which I relate very much.
If you could take 1 thing you liked best from each of the other cover “Queens” what would it be?
Deelicious is always a party, no matter how good or bad day she is having. I would like to have Eva’s serenity. She makes everything seem effortless.
I’ve been friends with DeeDee for almost 20 years, so it’s hard to choose, but I would say her loyalty to me and her close ones. I know I can count on her when I need her.
Have you always liked performing and becoming someone else on stage, or is that really all you?
When I first started drag I liked that I felt beautiful (even if for a few hours), and getting all the attention, but was still a misfit in the scene. Now I am more confident in and out of drag, but Vega is still a different persona who is constantly reinventing herself and not at all like her male alter ego.
I know that we discussed that you make a lot of the costumes, how did you get started with that?
My first swing at that was in my early days of drag I would purchase things at the thrift stores, and then “Liberace” them. Add feathers, rhinestones, sequins, beads, etc. A few years into our friendship DeeDee gave me an old sewing machine they had found at her husband’s grandma’s basement. “I want you to have this, but you have to make me stuff.” I had never touched a sewing machine in my life, but my drag mother Sabrina Daniels started teaching me, and here we are today making pageant-winning gowns, and drag costumes for performers across the state.
What are you like outside of being “Samantha Vega”?
I am shy, but outgoing. An extroverted introvert, if you will. Always looking to serve my community in whichever way I can. Always looking for new things to learn.
Who has been your biggest influence and supporter in your life?
My parents absolutely were a big influence in me pursuing an education and being goal-oriented. In their own way they also encouraged me and my siblings to be ourselves. Over the years I will always praise the power of CHOSEN FAMILY. Those not related to me, but we’ve been there for each other through the years when “true family” was not.
Where do you see yourself in 3 years? 5 years?
I dont even know where I see myself next week! In all seriousness, I would probably go to school to formalize my background in non-profit management and actually get a paying job in the field.
What is one thing that noone really knows about you?
Most people don’t know that I was once married to a woman and had a kid.
Who is your most favorite Drag Queen of all times?
Erica Andrews(RIP) is to me the perfect blend of theatre, glamour, beauty, dance and sass. She also always celebrated her hispanic heritage. Her legacy has created so many other legendary drag performers. Always an inspiration.
What is your very favorite memory?
Graduating college. All my worlds came together to celebrate me, my hard work, my struggles and my successes.
If you could be another “queen” for a nite who would it be and why?
Cher! I would want to experience what that kind of money could buy, the adoration of her fans, and her eternal youth!
MISS DELICIOUS
Who is Miss Deelicious?
Miss Deelicious is a festive ball of enrgy, love, fire,glamor, laughter, kindness and an honest pageant “Diva/Queen” who’s rough around the edges, but polished at the same time.
How long have you been performing and how did you get started?
I have been performing for off and on for 16 + years and still truly love everything about it even to this day.
I got started watching the Queens on stage at the SweetHearts Ball and was pulled up on stage by the owner of Muthers Night Club, Naiome. After she pulled me up on stage and that was it, a monster was born!
AFTER THAT … I did a youth show and then got gigs at the local bars/clubs in town and got welcomed in at GQ night club by Dee Dee Dubois. We have been working together off and on ever since.
Tell us a little about yourself…where did you grow up? married? kids? what type of business are you in outside of performing?
I grew up in the suburbs in the Bronx during holidays and summer vacations. I’m not married, but engaged at the moment. I have had lots of kids through my life that I’ve made for myself, and love them more then they could ever know. Performing and entertainment is my job and still to this day the love of my life.
What is your most favorite performance of all time?
My favorite perfomance is hard to pick just one, but if I had to choose, it would have to be when I perform Beyonce and Pattie Labelle on stage.
If you could take 1 thing you liked best from each of the other cover “Queens” what would it be?
If I could take one thing from each of the amazing Queens that graced along side me for the cover it would be Eva’s resilience, DeeDee’s focus, and Vega’s intelligence.
You seem very outgoing, fun and completely comfortable in who you are in and out of drag… Has that always been the case?
In all honesty, yes it has always been the case. I’ve learned in life that it is a choice, and no matter how difficult or hard life gets, or how much that the odds are stacked against you, it’s your choice to not let that break you down and discourage you. Besides, who wouldn’t want to be outgoing, fun and completely comfortable with who they are. It’s your life, enjoy it. You only have one chance.
I know that we discussed that you make a lot of your own costumes and also the ones for the other queens, how did you get started with that?
Yes, I do make my costumes and even some for other girls. I got into it once one of my favorite entertainers that I has befriended became my seamstress. She relocated so I stepped up to do it myself. Then, I have also ordered a couple of things that I just did not like the way that they fit or it didn’t come out how I wanted to so I asked my seamstress to teach me the basics and I figure it out from there.
EVA FLOW
Who is Eva Flow?
She is a very humble elegant talented professional artist character
What made you become a drag queen?
The makeup, lights, theater, the glam, heels, dresses, and of course the crowd.
How long have you been performing and how did you get started?
Very soon it will be 19 years performing and I started by accident in a theater scene 18 years ago at Francisco oller theater in Bayamón Puerto Rico Puerto Rico.
Tell us a little about yourself…where did you grow up? married? kids? what type of business are you in outside of performing?
I am a very simple person. I am a humble, sincere Catholic with very strong family values. I love to see the bright side in everything and love to smile, laugh, dance, etc. I grew up in between Honolulu, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. I am not married and do not have any kids. Out side of my character I am a certified cosmetologist and theatrical makeup artist, a teacher, secretary manager and am in retail. I am much more as well, but these are the important things right now.
What is your most favorite performance of all time?
One of my favorite performances when I was hired by a very famous artist and producer in Puerto Rico was for the closing performance of Las Fiestas De La Calle San Sebastian back in 2010. I was in front of a crowd of more than 3,000 people. It was an amazing experience for my drag career and for me personally.
If you could take 1 thing you liked best from each of the other cover “Queens” what would it be?
Lol….well that’s easy. I will take the sassiness, the quirkiness and the humor… just guess from what three of my sisters belongs to!
I know you are from a different country, where is it and why did you decide to move here?
I am originally from the middle of the Pacific Hawaii Honolulu, but mostly raised in Puerto Rico. I decided to move to Rochester, New York because of hurricane Maria back in 2017.
You are an amazing artist and have done much of the artwork and murals in ROAR. How did that get started?
It’s funny to say I’m a good friend of the owners of Roar and one day we went to see the venue as it was and in front of the owners I told them that I was an artist and I just grabbed a piece of wood and start drawing the logo in front of them.That’s how it all started.They gave me the opportunity to just channel my art into the venue and as a result there’s two murals now. A glow in the dark bar top and a glow-in-the-dark bar edge and I think there may bemuch more to come.
What do you do for your day job?
I am an ASM assistant store manager. I am proudly part of a cleaning team in charge of receiving deliveries. I am also a makeup artist and cosmetologist/beauty consultant and a painter as well.
Who has been your biggest influence and supporter in your life?
Well this one is a tough question because I don’t have her anymore by my side. My biggest influence and supporter was my mom (RIP) and of course I can’t not mention my brothers. They are my supporters as well, plus my good friends. Love you guys.
Where do you see yourself in 3 years? 5 years?
Wherever God needs me to be and be useful is where I will be, not only for myself, but for others. Plans are just a thought in your mind that can easily be changed under circumstances. With that said, I hope I will be on a good path and working as hard as I always have to live the dream.
What is one thing that noone really knows about you?
That I love to eat LOL…
How have things changed from when you started until now?
OMG very much because for us female impersonators and drag queens the starting point it’s more as a costume then what we are achieving now in the present day just watch some pictures of us 10 years ago LOL
What is your very favorite memory of performing?
Always always always!!! What I remember is it’s the fantasy of the illusion on stage with all the lighting, the song, the makeup, hair, and dress. That wow from the crowd every time we step on stage… love it!!
If you could be another “queen” for a nite who would it be and why?
Maybe my co-workers will hate me for this answer, but I will gladly be RuPaul for one night… I just love the way she channels drag or female impersonation.