3 Chicago-area artists compete to become ‘the world’s next drag supermonster’

Three Chicago-area drag artists compete in a battle of horror, grime and glamor for the chance to become “the world’s next drag supermonster” on an upcoming reality show.

“The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula,” premiering Oct. 1 on Shudder and AMC+, begins its sixth season with three contestants from Illinois among the 12 monsters competing for the title and $100,000 grand prize.

Among them are Aurora Gozmic, a mainstay of Chicago’s drag scene for the past decade; Auntie Heroine, a drama camp queen who is also a community leader in the Rockford area, and Scylla, a supernatural performance artist in Chicago inspired by fantasy and mythology.

The competition is hosted and judged by the Boulet Brothers, a Los Angeles drag duo who became known for their nightlife extravaganzas. The show features drag artists from around the world who are judged on the three tenets of “Dragula”: horror, filth and glamour. Every week, someone is “exterminated” until the big finale.

Dubbed “Season 666,” the next chapter of the series will put the drag freaks through horror-themed performances and costume challenges, as well as a series of “Fear Factor”-style “extermination challenges.” ” to see who is the last one standing. Past exterminations have included everything from skydiving to electric shocks.

Aurore Gozmic

“This is going to be one of the wildest seasons of Dragula,” Gozmic told the Sun-Times. “We’re bringing the looks and the drama for one of the best seasons ever.”

Gozmic’s drag persona came to life during a screening of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Halloween 2010. Gozmic was 16 at the time and living in Gwinn, a small town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Gozmic was watching online videos of popular Chicago drag queens like Shea Couleé, Kim Chi and Pearl — all of whom starred on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” — and fell in love with the city’s drag scene from afar.

“I always knew this was where I should be one day,” Gozmic said. “After I turned 21, I was booked here from Michigan and moved to Chicago shortly after.”

Gozmic would perform in shows at the famous Berlin nightclub, which closed late last year, and eventually took up residence at Scarlet, 3320 N. Halsted St., where she served as resident drag queen for four years until the COVID pandemic, she says.

“I learned so much at Scarlet,” Gozmic said. “I was hosting my own show and promoting everything, so I really found my own voice.”

Gozmic, who does many of her looks in collaboration with her drag daughter Vanda LaRose, takes a lot of inspiration from the past, she said. His favorite decades are the 80s and 90s, but his references also go back to the 40s and 50s.

“I took a lot of care with my appearance,” Gozmic said. “And I’m definitely this season’s glamorous ghoul.”

Aunt Heroine

Heroine, who began watching “Dragula” during its first two seasons, said she was always drawn to the show for its embrace of diversity and alternative drag styles.

While “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has been criticized for its slow embrace of transgender drag queens and alternative drag styles, “Dragula” has worked to include drag kings, trans and non-binary contestants and bearded drag queens , like Heroine.

“I haven’t seen people or styles like me on other shows, but ‘Dragula’ allowed me to see myself on television,” Heroine told the Sun-Times.

Heroine, who grew up in Winnebago, a small town outside Rockford, began doing drag while studying at Illinois State University, she said. Heroine’s now-drag mother, Sharon ShareAlike, was hosting a charity show and welcomed Heroine on stage after the event.

“Sharon showed me what I like to call ‘the heart of drag,’” Heroine said. “It’s all about love and community.”

These values ​​stuck with Heroine when she moved to Chicago, where she frequently performed in Berlin and hosted Auntie’s Treasures, an all-ages drag show creating opportunities for performers too young to perform in nightlife .

The heroine then returned to Rockford, where she now serves on the Rockford Area Pride Committee, which just held the city’s first officially sanctioned Pride parade.

“Pride in a small area like this is so important because a lot of people feel like they have to travel two hours to Chicago just to be able to be themselves,” Heroine said. “This visibility shows Rockford that it’s okay to be yourself here, and I’m proud to represent this area on the show.”

Scylla

Scylla enters “Dragula”, already connected to Heroine, who became Scylla’s drag mother after appearing in Heroine’s drag show for underage artists, and to Gozmic, who booked Scylla for her first concert in Chicago.

“I go back with these two a long time ago, so for us to be together is a big full circle moment that feels really surreal,” Scylla said.

Scylla moved to Chicago at age 18 from Dubuque, Iowa, and made a name for herself as an entertainer through the Internet and a few all-ages drag shows, before turning 21 years, they said.

Since then, Scylla has competed in multi-week drag competitions in Chicago, including Alexandria Diamond’s Survivor at Fantasy Nightclub and Crash Landing in Berlin, they said. Last year, Scylla won Ghoul School, an alternative drag freak competition at Splash.

“It was like my pre-K in ‘Dragula,’” Scylla said. “These competitions prepare you to be able to take criticism very well, make a name for yourself and understand how your drag translates in a competitive context.”

Winning “Dragula” would be “monumental,” Scylla said.

“I’ve put so much work into this craft and prepared for this moment for so long,” Scylla said. “Now I can finally share this with the world.”