Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrienne Park.
Hi Adrienne, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m 22 years old, and I’ve been performing for about a year and a few months now. I own and manage my drag and burlesque troupe, starlet burlesque! We got our start in October of 2020 when a few of my high school friends and roommates got together to perform a shadowcast of rocky horror at stonewall. In the beginning stages of the pandemic, we had to be really really careful, and the crowd and venue had so many restrictions. However, our first show at stonewall warehouse went so well, we were asked to come back and do burlesque once a month, and though none of us had any burlesque experience, we decided to take it on! With lots of hard work, tons of obstacles, tears, sweat, stress and frustrations, I was able to take starlet burlesque from a small group of friends with a dream to a multi-city burlesque powerhouse, selling out venues and breaking burlesque stereotypes. My entire goal of starlet burlesque is to educate new, inexperienced performers who are dreaming of being on stage and giving them resources and a stage to perform on, helping build burlesque and drag superstars! I strive to show the community that if you strive to reach your performance goals, anyone can be a burlesque or drag performer!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road to getting the troupe to where we are now has been anything but smooth! Starting off with starlet burlesque, I had zero event coordinator experience, no knowledge of the drag and burlesque community, and only a few college credits worth of marketing knowledge. However, I truly worked my ass off to learn everything I could about the community and what works best to get the word out in a big city like Austin. I joined local drag competitions to make connections, I sent hundreds of emails, and got all dressed up in drag to pass out flyers downtown and on south congress after working a full shift and with an essay due afterwards. Despite how stressful and sometimes thankless the job of a show director can be, it’s all worth it to be able to provide a stage and platform to my lovely performers!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Alongside managing starlet burlesque, I also perform solo on the side! I enjoy doing a mix of drag and burlesque both in my performances and my look! In my solo career, I’ve managed to place high in local competitions such as Austin’s next drag superstar and diva academy, as well as perform at countless venues and shows across Austin alongside some fabulous entertainers. You can find me every Saturday at halcyon on 4th street serving some stunning draglesque as the resident showgirl and co-show director! I’ve also managed to accomplish some personal goals in my first year of performing, such as loving myself and my body as a plus-size performer and helping inspire other plus-size performers and audience members to feel sexy and free in their bodies no matter the size or shape! I’m also a huge advocate for AFAB (Assigned female at birth) performers in a scene where we’re often excluded or seen as less when there are many extreme AFAB powerhouses in the Austin drag scene that deserve a stage to show off their stuff!
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Networking is truly the key to success in this community. Being kind and supportive to all showgirls and performers in the scene is a great way to make connections and make an impact in a community as big as the Austin scene! Get dressed up and go to shows, share show flyers and ask seasoned performers for advice. Perform in every opportunity you come across, and if those don’t come to you, make your own! Drag communities can be super intimidating and filled with drama, but the Austin scene in particular is filled with loving, helpful people that I’m so happy to know and perform alongside!
Contact Info:
- Email: Starletburlesqueinfo@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/starletburlesque
- Other: https://instagram.com/missadriennepark?
Image Credits
@shotsbycell on instagram My lovely partner @rabbitrundev
