Former Viking Miz Cracker graduated from performing on the Little Theater Stage in 2002 and appeared 16 years later on the mainstage of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2018. Drag Race is a TV series where American drag queens compete against one another in drag performances. The show is one of the most popular shows with queer representation to air in the United States to date, with 738,000 viewers for the season 14 premiere.
Miz Cracker started performing drag on the streets of New York City during marriage equality protests in 2011 and eventually made her way to the top five in RuPaul’s Drag Race Season Ten. She later reached the top three in RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season Five. She said that she applied for Drag Race because she was urged to by her drag mom, Bob the Drag Queen. Drag moms act as mentors to their drag daughters and teach them about drag culture. Miz Cracker is now touring the US and Canada with her one woman show: “She’s a Woman!”
According to the MasterClass, “drag is a gender-bending art form in which a person dresses in clothing and makeup meant to exaggerate a specific gender identity, usually of the opposite sex. While drag’s main purpose has been for performance and entertainment, it is also used as self-expression and a celebration of LGBTQ+ pride. A typical drag show will include lip-syncing or dance, and performers often have elaborate clothing, hair and makeup.”
Q: Where did the name Miz Cracker come from?
A: It comes from my original drag name: Brianna Cracker, which is a play on my favorite snack: brie on a cracker.
Q: What is your favorite type of cracker?
A: Water crackers. I love to have them with brie. They taste like luxury treats.
Q: What inspired you to start doing drag?
A: I was nagged to try it by Bob the Drag Queen. And when I finally tried it, I loved it.
Q: Why do you do drag?
A: It makes me feel that I can make other people happy. Making people smile makes me smile.
Q: Out of all of the drag looks you’ve done, what has been your favorite?
A: My favorite one was the look that I wore for the finale of All Stars Five where I dressed up like a Russian doll. It made me really happy.
Q: How has performing drag changed during the pandemic?
A: Performing has not changed during the pandemic. Performing is still alive. But during the pandemic, I was forced to do Zoom presentations, and I’m glad that that is over and that we’re back to actual performance. Real performance is on site, everything else is a fabrication.
Q: Where in your queer journey were you in high school?
A: I was closeted. But I was also in drama and French, [which] gave me a place where I could be myself.
Q: What advice would you give to young queer kids at Inglemoor?
A: Take your time finding out who you are. There’s no rush.
Q: Do you have any final advice?
A: Do what makes you happy. That’s the only way that you’re going to make other people happy. Drag makes me happy. And because it makes me happy, it allows me to make other people happy, too.
