While Sasha Colby has traveled all over the world, she has never been to Philadelphia. That will change when the winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 15 brings her “Stripped” tour to The Fillmore on March 21. While she will be busy performing a show — and traveling from a tour stop in Boston the night before and traveling to Nashville the night after — Colby said she plans to see some historic sites such as the Liberty Bell and partake in other tourist activities while in Philly. As she prepped for her tour, Colby took time to chat with PGN about letting audiences “into the mind of Sasha Colby,” working with Philly drag performers, using drag as a form of activism, and who she is rooting for this season on “Drag Race.”
Can you talk about the meaning behind your tour title, “Stripped”?
I chose “Stripped” because I feel like after being on “Drag Race” and [performing] this very high-gloss version of drag, I really wanted to just chip it away into a space when I was just discovering drag, just realizing the fringe art and the creativity of it all. I wanted to strip back to that; being vulnerable and really just kind of stripping away and letting the audience into the mind of Sasha Colby.
That brings up an interesting point because I feel like with the magic of reality TV, there is a lot that’s edited out and the narrative is being pushed from behind the scenes. What are you most looking forward to showcase about yourself that wasn’t necessarily shown on “Drag Race?
I think I’m pretty fortunate that I had a really good edit. [laughs]
You looked great!
I fared very well comparatively, but I think as far as what I would love the audience or people to get to know about me is really this sense of like this goofy nerd. [I’m] not always “mother.” [laughs]
For the tour, you incorporated a contest where up-and-coming drag performers who live in their respective tour stops could audition to perform on stage with you. What did you see from the audition videos in Philly?
Oh my gosh, Philly was amazing. Special shoutout to Little Piece, a trans performer. She was really amazing. There were some great performers that submitted in Philly. I had a great time watching them all. I got to pick the top three, and then I allowed that city to vote for who they wanted to represent. So Philly picked Venus Mystique. And the funny thing is I haven’t met her when she got to be the representative for Philly. But I saw her soon after that while doing a show in New York randomly when we were there for the “Drag Race” premiere this season. So I got to see her in action. I’m really excited.
What will she be doing at the show?
I have no idea. I leave that up to them. So they get one number and whatever they want to show — whatever they feel like they want to perform and be — it’s up to them. So I’m really excited to see what these up-and-coming, really creative artists get to bring.
In your essay in PEOPLE from last year, you wrote about winning the “Drag Race” crown, noting, “The crown is a platform — a megaphone through which I can now amplify the voices of others and begin to make the difference I had been craving for decades.” Can you talk about how your performances also serve as activism?
Well, I think if you are a drag performer in 2024, and you’re not an activist, then you’re not doing drag. If you’re a trans drag performer — I mean — being trans already, you have to advocate for yourself. It’s just something that is thrusted upon you, the idea of being an advocate for what you stand for. And [you’re] being an activist to make safe space for people like you to be able to be themselves. I love using my performance as a way of activism. I don’t think it’s always necessarily designed or thought of that way. But a lot of my numbers are specifically for me to kind of work through what I’m going through in life. It’s a therapeutic thing. It’s very cathartic for me. And I think that’s for a lot of drag performers. They use drag as a way to deal with whatever they’re going through in life. It’s a way to take back power in a society that says that you don’t have a voice.
You’re headlining a tour during a time when politicians are actively attacking the LGBTQ+ community. You also won “Drag Race” last year. How does it feel to achieve all of these things during this particular time in history?
When you look back in 20 years, you will see all these egregious things happening to the queer community. And then you have queer joy. You have trans success. You have my story, me winning “Drag Race.” You have people like Laverne Cox and Hunter Schafer and all these amazing trans people that are existing and surviving and being successful in the same time that this rhetoric is happening. So when you look back in 20 years, you’re going to see how ridiculous [these political times] were and how much we [as LGBTQ+ people] sit in our greatness and how we’re not going anywhere.
Now I have to ask this. I’m assuming you are watching “Drag Race” this season. Is there any particular queen that you are rooting for? Be careful. We do have a Philly queen this season [laughs].
[Laughs] I know! It’s so fun to watch it when you’re not in it. It’s really nice. [laughs] I can look at it with different eyes, but I think the girls are fantastic. I have a few that I just adore. I really love Q. And I love Sapphira. I think Nymphia is amazing. And I love Dawn.
All right, Sasha. Those are all of the questions I have, unless there’s anything you want to add?
I’m so excited to be coming to the Fillmore theater on March 21. [Puts on a radio announcer voice] You can get your tickets at ticketmaster.com [laughs]. I’m so excited. I’m genuinely so excited to share this show with the world.
Sasha Colby presents her “Stripped” North American tour at 8 p.m. on March 21 at The Fillmore Philadelphia, 29 E Allen St. For tickets or more information, visit sashacolby.net.