Cheddar Gorgeous Video Diary: Drag star Cheddar chats about LABS, lockdown, and vulnerability

In their first video diary for LABS, Cheddar Gorgeous gets real about their development process of making, how COVID-19 changed the landscape for drag, and more. Follow along behind the scenes as they create 2-3 new digital pieces.
ABOUT LABS:
LABS is Social Convention's Digital open studio residency, where we give artists space to experiment, make, and f*%k up - and you’re invited. Cohort 1 includes: Immersive performance maker LEONIE RAE GASSON. Fine artist and animator PARHAM GHALAMDAR. Electrodub recording artist DIRTY FREUD ft Chinese Ethnomusicologist DR SHU JIANG. UK drag legend CHEDDAR GORGEOUS. Contemporary dance-makers HOWL COLLECTIVE, BRINK DANCE COMPANY, & composer LS MARLEY. Multimedia installation maker THOMAS BUCKLEY. Performance artist VICTORIA CALLINAN. Interdisciplinary digital artist SIAN FAN. See more at socialconvention.org.
ABOUT CHEDDAR GORGEOUS:
"I have been using drag to show off, build communities and tell stories for over a decade. My work explores beauty and ugliness beyond the gender binary and how the manifestation of our internal worlds through collages of makeup, costume, and performance, have value as forms of self-expression, exploration, and direct political action.
I have done drag professionally in a variety of settings ranging from clubs and cabarets to galleries and cultural organisations. My work as a live performer has allowed me to travel internationally, performing across Europe, as part of the F1 celebrations in Singapore, for Ritz Carlton in Hong Kong, and headlining a number of drag and arts festivals in the US, including Austin International Drag Festival 2014 and the Milton Art Fringe 2019. At home I produced, performed, and mentored performers as part of Manchester's underground commercial club cabaret 'Cha Cha Boudoir' for 7 years.
Alongside my work in entertainment, I have developed community workshops using drag to build self-confidence, have fun, and as a form of advocacy. In 2018 I successfully pitched a television format based on this idea, that aimed to celebrate the lives of everyday people and their communities using drag. The project was commissioned for a six-part series by Channel 4. We worked with a variety of participants from six of the UK's most deprived towns to help them find their inner fabulous!
An integral component to the success of my professional work in drag has been an active and engaging online profile. I have developed an organic online following of over 130k across four social media platforms. Prior to becoming a drag artist, I trained as a visual anthropologist and a social worker. I have extensive experience in the use of audio-visual equipment, documentary production, video and sound editing, interviewing, and documentary drawing. These skills have been integral in adapting my drag practice during lockdown.
Since isolation began I have been creating 'Digital Drag' performances for shows in the UK and the US and have been producing a photo series dedicated to key workers for Manchester International Festival. I also produced and hosted digital drag cabaret for Manchester Pride that offered a paid gig to 10 local performers unable to work due to the closure of bars and clubs. By far my favorite experience has been curating and editing 26 drag performers in a group lipsync of Vera Lynns We'll meet again which was used to raise money for Age UK."