Tbilisi Collective

Julee, Baroness’ friend and winner of the previous edition of the Drag Ball Georgian Realness, works meticulously. She once performed as Pupala – a coquettish character from movie The Wishing Tree, living in her imagined world and mocked by the village. I had seen her show at Success Bar the night before, and the raw intensity she put into it lingered long after the music stopped. 

“It was so hot in the bar that sweat ran into my eyes, carrying the glue from my eyelashes. I almost went blind, but it was worth it” Julee laughs while pouring her heart into making Baroness’ eyebrows disappear. “I chose the name Julee because I was originally going to be named Julien, and I thought it would be funny. I also heard that in French it means ‘youthful,’ which I liked,” she says. “Doing drag in Georgia is really hard, but given the current political situation, the queer community has become closer and more resilient. This year, we had four drag balls, whereas before, there was nearly a six-month break. Mostly, we perform for free, just for the chance to be on stage.”

Baroness nods while trying to stay still. “We also do drag so that the culture does not disappear. It’s our responsibility. In the past, there were more of us, but many combed and packed up their wigs to move to Europe. Now we have maybe twenty queens left. There is a real risk of this culture vanishing. That is why we encourage each other by doing makeup, lending clothes, and sharing tips. Even competition cannot override that. Our goal is always to deliver shows people talk about afterward.”

“Well, you do great work,” I say. “It does not have to be the Drag Ball. Small shows at Success Bar get people talking too.” 

“Oh, Success is a monumental bar for the queer community,” Julee says. “Nia Gvatua, the owner, is the first provocative woman who started this scandalous space.”

“Yes,” Baroness smiles. “Nia is our first mother. If we have hardships, we go to her. The bar gave us a space to do our art safely. Payment does not matter. When she calls for performers, we all volunteer. During the bar’s renovations, all drag queens pitched in. Some hanging chandeliers, some carrying sofas.”

After a few glasses of wine, hours of gossiping, and lip syncing, Julee moves on to the eyelashes. I watch in awe. Her hands are steady, her eye for color precise. Baroness’ transformation is striking. “Depending on the show, makeup can take anywhere from five minutes to over two hours,” Julee explains. “The hardest and most time-consuming part is letting the wig glue dry and making the eyebrows disappear.”