Audience members clutch barf bags with “trash” scrawled across them. Onstage, a clown in fishnets writhes in a kiddie pool while milk is poured over her head, channeling Divine. The beefy odor of cat food fills the club as “trans femme trash clown” Poppy Elizabeth O’Hara devours a can to the tune of Iggy Azalea’s “Pu$$y.”
This isn’t your typical drag show—it’s Trash Unreal.
When Cleveland pop-punk musicians Donnie Talbott and Anthony Powers began booking shows for their band Pretty Pretty Awful, they wanted to stage more than concerts. Despite the abundance of LGBTQ+ events in the city, their trans, non-binary and alt-drag performance friends in the community felt shut out of mainstream venues. Partnering with musicians, drag performers, and artisans, Talbott and Powers founded a new alt-punk drag and dance party called Trash Unreal.
The Backyard Wrestling of Drag
“There’s a lot of classic, traditional drag that is gorgeous, but not everybody identifies with that,” said Weiland Clavin, who joined Talbott and Powers in organizing Trash Unreal. “We’re this little group of misfits and people who don’t necessarily feel comfortable with pretty drag.”
Trash Unreal encourages drag performers to be as weird as they can and push their limits. Since its first iteration last August, the event has seen acts like Dusty Bucket and her drag “children” doing a choreographed dance with strap-ons, and Inferno Joe encouraging the audience to shoot blow darts at his backside framed by movie posters. Such boundary-pushing performances have earned Trash Unreal the nickname “the backyard wrestling of drag.”
Elbowing Their Way in
After feeling uncomfortable in mainstream venues over the years, the group is creating a space in the LGBTQ+ community in Cleveland that’s inclusive and welcoming to everyone. “We’re not gently saying ‘We’d like room.’ This is our home too, and we’re gonna elbow our way in,” said Powers.
As a safe space for expression, the event welcomes diverse performers. “We had problems finding places to give exposure to kings, let alone kings that were weird. We want to have that representation as well as a space for queens of color, trans, and non-binary entertainers in Cleveland,” said Talbott, a former drag king and founding member of the Cleveland Kings and Girls.
Trash Unreal’s upcoming Pride event will feature five drag kings.
A nine-year drag veteran who performs as Willow Tree, Clavin has also struggled in the mainstream drag scene. “As an AFAB [assigned female at birth] drag queen, it’s been really hard in the drag community. When I started, it was so tough to be taken seriously. Even my eyelash glue was not good enough for some people. Trash is much more welcoming.”
Chosen Family
The community is taking notice. After packing the Five O’Clock Lounge in Lakewood for their first show, Trash Unreal moved to a larger venue at No Class in Cleveland in February. That event reached the 250-person capacity by 9:30 p.m. With two stages at No Class, the team increased the number of acts from eight to 18. Over 100 requests to perform at upcoming Trash Unreal events poured in. One question on the submission form reads, “What’s the trashiest thing you’ve done?”
Trash Unreal’s communal spirit doesn’t stop at the venue door. When Talbott needed top surgery a few years ago, Powers designed a trans pride T-shirt to screen print and help raise the funds. This spring, they revived the design of a skull with a transgender symbol in one eye to support a friend in need of gender-affirming care. Together with Clavin, they’ve raised over $12,000 between the T-shirt fundraiser, GoFundMe and benefit events to offer community aid for three folks in the community.
“Friends needed help,” said Talbott. “Since I received it, I thought it would be awesome to give back to the community. We’re getting our hands into everything we can to help.”
Cirque du so TRASH
Trash Unreal will kick off Cleveland’s Pride weekend with their biggest event yet on June 2 at No Class. Cirque du so TRASH invites you to run away to the circus for carnival-themed performances and “the trashiest carnival games we could dream up.”
Willow Tree will host the evening as the ringleader of local talent from Cleveland, Youngstown and Columbus. The event features live music from Pretty Pretty Awful, Messmaker and the House of Wills. The lineup of 18 drag performers includes Macho Grande, Onya Nurve and Stella Damiana.
Women-run butcher shop Saucisson will be grilling onsite while vendors sell punk rock jewelry, leather, t-shirts, patches and more. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.
You never know what you might see at a Trash Unreal show. The only guarantee is a space where entertainers can be as weird as they want to be. “Drag is so important because it really takes you out of your head space or whatever you’re going through at the time,” said Clavin. “[The political climate] is heavy right now, but when we are able to have one night of a fanciful experience, that means so much.” 🔥
Ignite Action
- Go see Trash Unreal on June 2 at No Class in Cleveland (11213 Detroit Ave). Tickets HERE.
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