Long Live the Queen
music by Andrea Clearfield
libretto by Cookie Diorio
Where Opera Meets Drag —
and History Gets a Makeover
When Cookie Diorio met Andrea Clearfield after performing in her Beyond the Binary, a creative sparkle ignited. Cookie approached Andrea with a dream: to create a new work exploring the lineage, glamour, and radical heart of drag. Andrea said, “YES. Let’s talk about that.”
That conversation launched an extraordinary collaboration.
“As a drag artist, I’ve always been in touch with my musical self. If I can perform gospel in drag, why can’t I create operatic content in drag?”
— Cookie Diorio
A New Kind of Opera
Opera and drag have always been dramatic sisters — both larger than life, both powered by fierce storytelling and fabulous style. But too often, drag has only tiptoed across the operatic stage in the form of travesti roles — a clever disguise for a voice type, not a full expression of identity.
Enter a new kind of performance: where classical vocal artistry meets the heart, humor, and high heels of drag. Here, arias shimmer with sequins, divas claim their full power, and the music itself struts in stilettos.
Because at their best, both opera and drag demand the same superpowers — courage, craft, transformation, and the unshakable presence of a true diva. And that’s where the real magic happens.
Long Live The Queen (a her-story of drag) is a 90-minute drag canata/opera featuring Cookie Diorio as drag artist, librettist, and costume designer, with music by composer Andrea Clearfield. The work will explore a unique intersection of opera, drag, performance art, multimedia oratorio, and cabaret.
Featuring:
Three acts and one unforgettable drag soloist
Four opera singers and three LGBTQ+ choruses
A chamber orchestra
And enough sequins to light up the stage
The World Premiere of the complete work will be in June 2026 as a part of ArtPhilly “What Now: 2026”. The production will include Orchestra 2001, the Philadlephia Gay Men’s Chorus, ANNA Crusis Feminist Choir and Philadelphia Voices of Pride.
Part 1 of the piece was premiered in May 17, 2024 with the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus
“The words Cookie wrote felt operatic — a new hybrid art form emerged.”
— Andrea Clearfield
Art. Visibility. Democracy.
In a time when drag performance is being challenged across the country, Long Live the Queen stands tall — and sparkly — for creativity, equality, and freedom of expression.
“It’s a middle finger, if you will, to the idea that drag doesn’t belong.
It’s about democracy, equality, and voice.”
— Cookie Diorio
Original texts by Cookie weave in quotes from her drag queen role models, celebrating the vital role drag plays in society and the LGBTQ+ community. The piece highlights drag performers not only as artists but also as activists and catalysts for social change, exploring how our social systems shape and challenge drag across three periods: Before, Now, and Forward. Through this dynamic work, audiences are invited into a vision of understanding, acceptance, and cultural transformation — especially urgent in a time of increasing discrimination against drag artists and events in the U.S.
Help Bring Long Live the Queen to Life
Support this bold new work by contributing to production costs, sequins included. Fundraising is underway through Fractured Atlas, and salon-style preview performances are being planned.
Long Live the Queen is an ambitious undertaking — the sequin budget alone!
You can help bring this groundbreaking project to life by contributing to its production through Fractured Atlas.