Towson University hosts drag show with member of a ‘queer theatre for a queer city’

Towson University’s College of Fine Arts and Communication in Maryland hosted a “drag queen” as part of a two-week “Summer at the Center” celebrating “the arts with live performances, workshops and classes.”

Joseph Ritsch, who holds a Master of Fine Arts from Towson, was the performer. A “drag queen” show involves a man dressing as a woman in exaggerated and ostentatious clothing. LGBTQ advocates allege that drag shows are “empowering,” whereas critics claim that such shows openly mock and objectify women. 

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The June 13 event was titled: “Cabaret Series: Sunrize ‘with a Z’ Off-Off… Off Broadway,” a production that Ritsch created. The university described the show as a “satirical tribute to musical theatre artists . . . combining [Ritsch’s] work as both a drag artist and musical theatre performer.”

“This satire of contemporary musical theatre divas combines unique song stylings with reflections, sage advice and insightful backstage stories on the ‘business we call show,’” the university wrote. On his LinkedIn, Ritsch says he is a founding member of Iron Crow Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland, which seeks to “produce queer theatre for a queer city, celebrating the renegade and unorthodox in all of us.”

Speaking of his production, Ritsch stated in 2021: “I hope that you will discover that what has made Sunrize [the protagonist in the production] so endearing is her naivete, her giant heart, and her passion for entertaining. Her story is at times bumpy, humorous, vulnerable, and celebratory, but always focuses on finding our true selves, defining our own personal meanings of success, and living with a commitment to love and kindness.”

Ritsch said that “Sunrize” emerged from a search to blend his “queer” identity with his work. “My curiosity grew as I realized drag offered me a way to explore my own identity as a queer man. . . . I was interested in how drag could connect, beyond pure impersonation, to the musical theatre grand dames whom I adored . . . And thus, Sunrize was born.”

[RELATED: UMass Boston’s LGBTQ grad ceremony to feature ‘local Drag Queens’]

This is not the first drag-related event to take place at Towson. On April 13, the school’s Queer Student Union helped host a “drag bingo.” The school also organizes an annual drag show, which appears to go back as far as 2006.

Campus Reform contacted Towson University and Joseph Ritsch for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.