La Traiviata Through The Lens

Four weeks ago I fell down a rabbit hole, into the Wonderland that is Folkoperan, to start rehearsals for the opera La Traviata. It's been four weeks of creativeness, craziness, sweaty hard work, and a LOT of laughter and coffee! In the middle of it all I also managed to get a flu-like cold, which kept me banned from the opera house for a few days. Last week we finally did our two premieres though, so now we can crawl out of that rabbit hole again, and only return for shows three times a week. Both premieres went really well, ending with standing ovations from the amazing audiences, so I'm really looking forward to keep doing this over and over this fall!

Photographer Markus Gårder spent two days with us during our rehearsals, to shoot some press photos. It's difficult to get a good perspective of everything going on on stage when you're actually in the middle of it all yourself. So seeing these pictures made us all aware of how beautifully staged this version of La Traviata is! Here are a few of these photos. To see more, and buy tickets, go here!

One of our two Violettas - Julia Sporsén. And yes, that's me humping one of the drag queens to the right...

Jesper Säll, one of our two Alfredos, on the horse!

And here we have our second Violetta - Susanna Andersson - being filmed by Annina, sung by the one and only Carolina Blixt!

On the floor - Germont, sung by Jeremy Carpenter. I feel so calm when he sings...

And this is a study in how to shake violently, while at the same time eating licorice ropes... Haha! I'm going to be SO tired of licorice after this season...

Five of the fabulous drag queens doing their thing!

Our second Alfredo, seen here, is sung by Per-Håkan Precht.

All photos copyright Markus Gårder.

Early Drag Queens

It's a very sad fact that even today non-heterosexual people have to live in fear, behind closed doors, all around the world. That to not be what so many considers "normal" is bad and wrong... I guess we can only pray to the LGBTQ-God that one day everyone will be accepted for who and what they are... But through the ages, brave people who aren't afraid to be who they are have always existed, and today I want to show you a few photos of some of the brave transvestites and drag queens of the past - from times when these men took even bigger risks than today showing their true identities. Cheers to them!

1800s

1800s

Pictured above is Brigham Morris Young, who in the 1800s made a career in drag, performing as Madam Pattrini.

1800s

Frederick Park and Ernest Boulton were the first men who openly dared to walk the streets in women's clothing. This was very shocking in Victorian London, and made the police launch investigations that were normally reserved for extreme criminals.

1800s

As it took a long time before it was respectable for women to have a career as an actress, men in women's clothes have been playing the female roles for centuries. So on stage, it was perfectly acceptable for men to perform in drag.

Ca 1915

Around the turn of the century drag performances became a category of it's own. Above we see vaudeville performer Julian Eltinge.

1920s

During the 1920 drag balls became popular. These were huge LBGT parties, where most men dressed as women.

Noted drag queen Harry S. Franklyn. 1920s.

Vaudevillian sensation Vander Clyde aka Barbette. 1920s.

Female impersonator Billy Richards. 1937.

Jerry Vaughn, 1947.

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