Every Fringer hopes to discover a hidden gem; one that offers more than just an hour of fun, and keeps you thinking for days, if not weeks after. The Real Black Swann: Confessions of America's First Black Drag Queen IS that show and I implore you to check it out.

Beginning in a present-day hospital room, Kurkendaal Barrett is visited by a ghost from the past: William Dorsey Swann, AKA The Queen of Drag, and the first American queer Black activist in the 1800s.

Swann, the most resilient, fierce, and confident trailblazer you've never heard of, is worth the cost of admission. But you'll stay for Kurkendaal Barrett’s captivating storytelling that weaves past and present together so masterfully that you might start to think that he and Swann are old friends. Each contending with racism, police violence, and homophobia together, though more than a hundred years apart.

This show will compel you to conduct your own research and do your part to uplift the stories of Swann and other marginalized folks before they are lost to time. And while you're at it, learn to cake walk and feel comfortable in your own skin, knowing that Swann is right there beside you, cheering you on.