Photo by Adam Ouahmane
Chicago is one of the most diverse cities when it comes to their drag community. Their drag scene is filled will all types of art, from club kids to pageant queens, to drag kings, and everything in between. Ophelia Bulletz is a performer who started performing in Chicago almost 2 years ago. She is now part of a monthly show called Squad Goals which takes place every 4th Tuesday of the month at Berlin Nightclub. She is also known for making a lot of her own outfits and is starting to gain notoriety especially for making leather harnesses. She has definitely proven herself as a multi talented performer and is about to take the Chicago drag scene by storm.
1. Who is Ophelia Bulletz?
A drag
succubus: beautiful, ethereal, and dangerous. (At least, that's how I
like to describe her.) Ophelia is a character that allows me to explore
gender, identity, emotion, sexuality, etc. She's basically
a living creative outlet for me. I studied fashion design, performance
and creative writing in school and Ophelia lets me incorporate all of
those things in one way or another.
2. When and why did you begin doing drag?
I started
playing around with makeup in high school, going to Rocky Horror, and
then doing performance and video art in college. I started taking drag
more seriously and performing in Chicago almost two years
ago. I think it started with a desire to feel beautiful and to see
myself in a different way, and has evolved into continuously exploring
myself through a different lens. For me, a big part of drag is self
discovery and awareness.
3. How did you come up with your drag name?
Ophelia is
from Hamlet, and Bulletz is a tough, sharp contrast to the first name.
Hamlet's Ophelia is this "tragic" female trope, who went insane and,
ultimately, died from unrequited love. I see Ophelia Bulletz
as the opposite of that, the girl who has this enormous wealth of
emotion, has gone through a lot of shit and has probably gone insane but
decides to take it out on men, to use her sexuality as power. I guess
that's where succubus comes in, I'm fascinated with
how history has portrayed powerful women as monsters (witches, demons,
sirens, etc.) and I try to incorporate that into my drag.
Photo by Andie Meadows
4. What would you say is your best quality?
I think one of
the more obvious answers is the fact that I design and make a lot of my
own outfits. I also do a lot of work with leather and make custom
harnesses. But I also think subtlety is one of my strongest
attributes, which is usually a negative for drag where everything calls
for exaggeration. I like how some of the smaller details have a big
effect on the total package; things like the perfect nail color, a
lightly feathered or iridescent eyebrow, leaving
off bottom lashes, adding leather straps to a shoe to match an outfit,
all of these smaller things that, to a lot of people, might go
unnoticed. Those are my favorite parts of drag.
5. How did you learn to do your makeup?
YouTube videos
and a lot of practice. Another thing that really helped me was actually
going out and seeing other queens in person, looking at their makeup up
close, talking to them about what they're doing,
what works and what doesn't. You can learn a lot from someone else's
mug. It can also be incredibly helpful to talk out your looks with
someone you trust beforehand. Me and my sister Krissy Feetface are
constantly bouncing makeup ideas off each other, sending
each other posts of makeup on Instagram, things like that.
6. What is special about Chicago drag compared to any other city in your opinion?
Chicago
embraces all kinds of drag and I think that's what allows so many people
to grow and be successful. There's space for club kids, theater kids,
pageant queens, weirdos, literally anything you can imagine,
and despite all of those differences, there's a sense of community and
collaboration. You can go to one show in Chicago and get the full
spectrum of drag, without having to bounce from club to club around the
city. I think Chicago is just big enough to have
a really thriving drag scene but small enough that the queens here
really get a chance to know and support one another.
Photo by Brendon Brown
7. If you could travel anywhere in the world to perform, where would you want to go and why?
Berlin! (The city, not the nightclub). I think the most exciting part about performing in a new place is seeing how the audience reacts
to and absorbs what you're doing. I
think going to a place with significant cultural differences would be
an amazing experience, especially places that don't necessarily have
drag queens/ a major drag scene. I'm also very
interested in taking drag to local places it doesn't regularly
inhabit— taking it out of the nightclub setting and performing in an art
gallery or warehouse space or house party, just shifting the way that
performers and audiences interact.
8. What makes you unique?
Like I said
earlier, I think noticing the smaller details and being able to fine
tune those things all add to uniqueness. Something I'm really proud of
is consistency— being able to communicate who Ophelia
is regardless of the song I'm performing or the club I'm in. I think
that's the marker of a successful queen, when you look at her you get
the full story, you know who she is and it resonates with you.
9. What is something no one knows about you?
I almost always draw my left eyebrow slightly higher than my right. It's not really intentional but sisters can be different!
10. What is something you wish you could change about the drag community as a whole?
I think the
biggest asset and also the biggest detriment to the drag community is
competition. I think competing is a great way for newer queens to gain
experience and recognition, but it also causes a lot
of tension between queens. We are constantly sizing each other up and
trying to further our own careers. I think it just takes time and
experience for queens to feel comfortable in their own communities and
confident enough in themselves to bond with other
performers and look to help others grow and succeed without seeing it
as a detriment to themselves.
11. What is your opinion of Rupaul's Drag Race?
I think RPDR
is a double edged sword: it's brought an amazing amount of visibility to
drag and has really elevated the level of execution and polish that we
see in queens now; as it gains popularity, however, viewers
kind of fall into the trap of thinking that the show is the only real
marker of talent. In reality, there's an amazing amount of talent and
diversity among local queens and performers that will never be showcased
on television. If you're using a TV show to
base your opinions on something as multifaceted as drag, then you're
really missing out. I think one of the most beautiful parts of drag is
seeing a performer in the flesh, and you can never imitate that
experience on tv.
12. Do you have a most embarrassing moment?
Lipsynching to
Nickelback's "Photograph" while covered in birthday cake in a strapless
dress that slid halfway down my torso right after my wig flipped off.
Drag is weird!
Photo by Johnny Bianco
13. You're part of a
show in Chicago called "Squad Goals" at Berlin Nightclub. When does your
show take place and can you tell everyone what it's about? Who else
works with you?
Yes! Squad
Goals is a group of Chicago queens who came together when we were fresh
on the scene and started our own show, currently happening every fourth
Tuesday of the month at Berlin Nightclub. It's a show
where I basically get to perform with my drag sisters and show the
audience what it's like to be a part of a squad of drag queens who all
came up together. Most of us got our real "start" thanks to the Drag
Matinee Pre-Show (RIP) and the competition Crash
Landing, both hosted by Trannika Rex at Berlin Nightclub. We all kind
of found each other as newcomers and got together to support each other
and hang out. We're at the point now where most of us have really found
our individual voices and can be found at
various shows in Chicago, and now Squad Goals is our opportunity to
come together and regroup every month and just have a great time putting
on a show together. We do solo performances as well as duets, trios and
full group performances, and we like to end
every show with a lipsynch battle. We also include special guests from
the Chicago drag scene. Our full cast is me, Joonage Á Trois (our host),
Krissy Feetface, Logan Zass, Alex Kay, Blondebenét, Claire Voyant and
Ana Budjit.
14. Where do you see yourself taking your drag career in the future?
I'd like to
continue exploring opportunities as they come along and seeing where
Ophelia goes from here. I want to start doing more fine arts projects
involving drag, photoshoots, short films, zines, etc.
I also want to continue making custom costumes, harnesses and
accessories.
15. What is your advice for anyone who wants to get far in the drag world?
I think the
best advice I have is to be authentic and be open to critique
(especially if you're new). Be willing to work hard and also play hard. I
think it's important to remember to take time and thoroughly
enjoy what you're doing. It's easy to get burned out from all the
shows, clubs, partying, etc. Find the people who value what you do and
help you grow— stick with them.
Twitter: @OpheliaBulletz
Instagram: @opheliabulletz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasper.drummond
Photo credits:
Adam Ouahmane: https://www.facebook.com/adamouahmane
Johnny Bianco: https://www.facebook.com/pissingpottymouth
Brendon Brown: https://www.facebook.com/brendon.brown.16
Andie Meadows: https://www.facebook.com/andie.meadows
The Drag Enthusiast
Twitter: @DragEnthusiast
Instagram: @dragenthusiast
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dragenthusiast/
Interview done by: Natalie
Twitter: @urjustadrag
Instagram: @urjustadrag_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natalie.drag.enthusiast
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