House of 666 Give Black and Brown Drag Performers the Spotlight

Denver is blowing up as a national hotspot for drag, especially “alternative” drag that pushes boundaries when it comes performers’ identities, nonbinary aspects of their drag, and the experimental nature of their performances. But one thing that’s undeniable in the Mile High City is the lack of racial diversity. For that reason, local drag performer Lisa Frank 666 wanted to create a space where black and brown bodies  were celebrated, not just acknowledged or accepted.

“Since I started drag, being part of the House of Cortez really inspired me and instilled in me the family aspect of drag, which was my favorite thing about drag,” Lisa said. “I genuinely feel like if I wasn’t a part of a family at the beginning, then I wouldn’t be where I am now. So, from the beginning, I already knew I wanted to create a house of my own.

Currently, all the members of Lisa’s new house, House of 666, are black and brown, and the goal is to make it a safe space for all people of color and put those who identify as black or POC front and center. The house came about because of Lisa’s love for community and support and the fact that the punk and drag scenes in Denver, two scenes she was drawn to, are predominantly white.

To celebrate her new house, Lisa threw a show at Meadowlark called Spawn.

“It was the House of 666 birthday show, and I literally birthed each of my new drag children on stage. I just felt like it was a very ritualistic and powerful moment for them, but also for me. I wanted them to have an actual moment, a birthday, something of importance that they can celebrate, and a day to remember. It was incredible.”

The turnout and support so far for House of 666 has been great. After all, it’s a local drag house full of drag artists turning looks left and right. But, there’s more to this house than just looking fabulous and having each other’s backs. It’s a house or alternative, punk, and goth folks who are also people of color and/or black. It’s a safe space for those who are naturally marginalized based on the color of their skin, and then are further othered based on alternative aesthetic choices, and it’s family.

“I love punk culture; I love the goth culture, and I love the alternative,” Lisa said. “But, as much as I’ve been welcomed by the scene here, I just started feeling kind of alone in the sense of being a person of color and a black person in the drag scene in general, but especially in the alternative drag scene. But, there are great artists doing things in Denver who are also black and people of color, so I decided instead of feeling so alone, I should actually create something that lifts us up, something that other people can be a part of as well.”

But it’s not all about art and branding for House of 666, either. They go beyond the aesthetic and the shared moniker of 666.

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“We genuinely all hang out and care for each other like an actual family, like we ask each other how we are, help each other financially in different ways. Everyone who’s in the house has felt alone in different ways in the community, and as people of color, I think it’s really important to have that sense of community and family.”

Lisa made a point to stress that the drag family of House of 666 need to actually hang out outside of balls and shows. She wants them to learn each other as people and develop a support network.

While some drag houses pride themselves on exclusivity, limiting the number of members, that’s not Lisa’s plan. She wants to welcome in other people of color who vibe with the aesthetic of House of 666 and are looking for community and family.

“I really hope it ripples out and continues to grow, because I can feel it in my bones that this is going to be huge. There’s never been an alternative, all-POC drag house like this. There may be other, alternative houses that have people of color, but this is something unique and special. I really want to inspire a lot more people of color to do alternative drag. And I would love to see more houses, more alternative families, coming together, like actually family, not just friends who get drunk or do shows, but family.”

In the months and years to come, Lisa hopes to have a monthly show at a local venue, and maybe branch out to a couple of spots around town. But even more importantly, she wants to see her family continue to grow and bring representation to black drag performers in Denver, Colorado, and everywhere.

Follow @lisafrank666 on Instagram for House of 666 updates.  

*Photos by Stu Osborne