Rust Belt Theater Company to Present ‘Drag Queen’

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Rust Belt Theater Company will once again present its original holiday musical “How the Drag Queen Stole Christmas” at two venues.

The show will be presented at The Youngstown Playhouse at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 13-14; at midnight Saturday; and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15.

To make reservations, go to YoungstownPlayhouse.org.

The production will then be moved to Club Switch, 221 Belmont Ave., for three more performances: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 20-21; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 22.

For reservations at Club Switch, call 330 507 2358.

“The venue you choose to see the show depends on the experience you want,” said Robert Dennick Joki, executive director of Rust Belt. “If you want an up-close and personal, dive bar experience, come to Club Switch. If you want a more traditional theater experience, come to The Youngstown Playhouse.”

Those who would like to sample both experiences can catch the show two weekends in a row, said Joki, who stars in the show.

“How the Drag Queen Stole Christmas” is an off-the-wall retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic tale “A Christmas Carol.”

It tells the story of Starrlet O’Hara, a tyrant drag queen who is visited by three ghostly divas on Christmas Eve.

Written and composed by Joki and Josh Taylor, the show is updated each year to lampoon politics, current events and pop culture.

The cast includes Nicole Zayas, Caitlyn Murphy, Vicci Sfikas, Diane Marie, Connor Bezeredi, Jon Bunge, Rachael Kerr Bunge, Sarah Whitlach Lisa Torrence, Heather Powell, Joey Shilot, Charity Bauer, Shelby Gossick, Robert May, Keith Stepanic, Eric McCrea, Pk Lankford, Rachel Clifford and Joki.

Pictured at top: Robert Dennick Joki as Starrlet O’Hara in “How the Drag Queen Stole Christmas.”

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.