Drag Me to the Stage

What Drag Me to the Stage does

Drag Me to the Stage LLC is a privately held live entertainment production company headquartered in Kenmore, New York (Western NY), founded and operated by three partners — Ed Popil (a.k.a. Mrs. Kasha Davis, Chief Entertainment Officer), Tim Evanicki (Operations), and Steven Levins (Finance). The company produces and tours drag entertainment — including branded drag brunches, drag bingo nights, comedy shows, holiday spectaculars, concerts, festivals, and Pride celebrations — featuring RuPaul's Drag Race alumni alongside regional drag performers. Its core intellectual property includes trademarked show formats Drag Me to Brunch™ and Wigstock™ (revived from the 1985 NYC festival), with a catalog of additional branded productions such as Drag Me to Bingo, Thorgy Does Christmas, Drag Queens of Comedy, and America's Next Top Drag Queen.

The business operates on a dual GTM model: direct-to-consumer ticketing through its Squarespace website and third-party platforms (Eventbrite, Ticketmaster, Etix, OvationTix, Yapsody, CSSTicks, Square) for individual ticket buyers, plus an enterprise field-sales motion booking full productions for casinos (Seneca Resorts and Casinos across Niagara, Allegany, Del Lago), theatres (Proctors Collaborative, Ensemble Arts Philly, Blackfriars), comedy clubs (Funnybone, Carlson Comedy Club), restaurants (CRISP Rochester, BTB Wood Fired Pizza), museums, and colleges (SUNY ESF and others). Revenue is generated through ticket sales (one-time), venue booking fees (professional services), merchandise (one-time), and artist management services (professional services). Tickets range from $12 to $90+ with VIP, meet-and-greet, and beverage add-ons; events scale from intimate 20–50-seat brunches to 2,500+-seat productions.

The technology stack is entirely off-the-shelf SaaS with no proprietary platform: Squarespace (website), Constant Contact (email/SMS), Monday.com (project management), Meta Business Suite and Google Ads (marketing), plus the multiple ticketing and payment processors above. There is no app, no API, and no AI/ML capability. Operations are run by the three partners plus a remote part-time Marketing & Content Coordinator, with geographic reach centered on Upstate New York (Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany) and active touring into Philadelphia, Denver, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Scranton.

Name

Drag Me to the Stage

Legal name

Drag Me to the Stage LLC

Website

https://dragmetothestage.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Drag Me to the Stage LLC is a Western New York-based live entertainment producer that books and tours drag brunches, bingo nights, comedy shows, and festivals featuring RuPaul's Drag Race alumni for casinos, theatres, restaurants, comedy clubs, and colleges across the U.S.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment Production

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (71119), Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (711410), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Artist Booking, Talent Buying & Agency Services (MPAGAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performers & Specialty Acts Booking (Magicians, Comedians, Circus, Variety) (HSACAHAB), Tour & Artist Management Services (HSACAHAN), Touring & Production Services (Staging, Lighting, Sound, Video) (MPAIAFAF)

Keywords

• Live entertainment production
• Drag event booking
• Touring drag shows
• Talent management services
• LGBTQ event programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Kenmore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Direct consumer ticket purchases for drag brunches, bingo events, comedy shows, concerts, festivals, and Pride celebrations. Tickets sold through website and third-party platforms.
2. Venue and Talent Booking Services: Booking fees from venues (casinos, theatres, restaurants, corporate events, colleges) for touring drag shows and performances. Scalable for venues 100-2500+ seats.
3. Merchandise Sales: Online merchandise store selling branded items. Purchases must be paid in full at time of order.
4. Artist Management: Expert drag talent management, booking, and promotion services. Hiring top drag performers for shows, projects, or events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Drag Me to the Stage LLC is a live entertainment production company that organizes, produces, and tours drag performances across the United States. Its core offerings are ticketed live events — drag brunches (Drag Me to Brunch™), drag bingo nights (Drag Me to Bingo™), comedy shows, holiday spectaculars, and touring productions — featuring RuPaul's Drag Race alumni and other celebrity drag talent, hosted at partner venues including casinos, theatres, restaurants, comedy clubs, museums, and college campuses. The company also books and manages drag artists for hire by venues, corporate events, and campuses.

Product overview

Drag Me to the Stage LLC is a live entertainment production company that organizes and produces drag performances across the United States. The company operates primarily as a touring entertainment producer rather than a software platform. Its product portfolio centers on ticketed live events including drag brunches, drag bingo nights, comedy shows, holiday spectaculars, and touring productions featuring RuPaul's Drag Race stars. The core products are Drag Me to Brunch (the premier touring drag brunch experience) and Drag Me to Bingo (interactive drag bingo events), supplemented by special event formats including Wigstock, Thorgy Does Christmas, Drag Queens of Comedy, and America's Next Top Drag Queen competition. The company also provides college campus programming with drag bingo, master classes, and performances, artist management services, and produces the annual Rochester Queer Arts Festival. Performances feature RuPaul's Drag Race alumni and local drag performers, with events hosted at casinos, theaters, restaurants, comedy clubs, and universities primarily in New York State with some national touring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Drag Me to Brunch: The premier touring drag brunch experience featuring RuPaul's Drag Race stars, combining brunch, laughter, music, and over-the-top performances.
• Drag Me to Bingo
• Wigstock
• Thorgy Does Christmas
• Drag Queens of Comedy
• America's Next Top Drag Queen

Products and services

• Drag Me to Brunch The premier touring drag brunch experience featuring RuPaul's Drag Race stars, combining brunch dining with high-energy drag performances, comedy, and music. Scalable for venues seating 100-2,500+ at restaurants, casinos, hotels, resorts, and performing arts centers.
• Drag Me to Bingo Interactive drag bingo event featuring four drag queens and four backup dancers, blending traditional bingo with drag performances and sharp-witted hosts where guests become part of the show.
• Wigstock Legendary drag festival originally launched in NYC's East Village in the 1980s, reinvented for today and hosted by Lady Bunny featuring drag legends. Now booking for Summer 2026.
• Thorgy Does Christmas Holiday spectacular featuring RuPaul's Drag Race star Thorgy Thor's violin, comedy, and musical brilliance in a campy holiday show for cabaret and mainstage settings.
• Thorgy Thor's Comedy Tour 'I Know...Right?' Stand-up and storytelling tour featuring Thorgy Thor's razor-sharp wit and irreverent humor with music, improv, and signature chaos. Booking for 2026 dates at comedy clubs and smaller venues.
• A Very Merry Drag Brunch / A Very Merry Drag Show Dazzling 90-minute holiday spectacular featuring RuPaul's Drag Race favorites, flexible for casinos, showrooms, or event centers seating 500-1,500+ for brunch, and can transform into a stage show without food.
• Drag Queens of Comedy An evening of stand-up comedy featuring three RuPaul's Drag Race celebrities, designed for intimate showrooms or comedy club venues with sass, storytelling, and sharp wit.
• America's Next Top Drag Queen A live Drag Race-style competition starring three to five RuPaul's Drag Race alums in a Match Game celebrity impersonation challenge, runway showdown, and Lip Sync for Their Legacy, featuring three local celebrity judges from the host city.
• College/University Events On-campus drag programming tailored for student audiences with limited budgets and campus venue logistics, including late-night events, bingos, drag shows with student involvement, brunches, and dinners featuring RuPaul's Drag Race stars.
• Master Classes - College Campus Interactive workshops including makeup classes (taught by Emmy Award winners like Laila McQueen), music, wig, and self-expression workshops tailored for college students.
• Artist Management Expert drag talent management, booking, and promotion, providing drag performers, speakers, and entertainers for shows, projects, or events for all ages.
• Rochester Queer Arts Festival Annual celebration of LGBTQIA+ creativity and community featuring drag performances, live entertainment on multiple stages, vendor marketplace, fashion shows, workshops, and student art gallery; partnered with Village Gate Square.
• Imagination Station Family-friendly children's story hour program featuring inclusive stories read by RuPaul's Drag Race stars, including original music, dance parties, and themed craft activities that teach love, acceptance, and living authentically.
• Drag Me to the Catskills Drag events at the Forestburgh Playhouse in the Catskill Mountains region, including Show Queens performances and themed drag experiences at the venue.
• Branded Merchandise Online merchandise store selling branded Drag Me to the Stage items, with purchases paid in full at the time of order.

Quantifiable outcome

• Venues report filling seats and drawing diverse new audiences through Drag Me to the Stage productions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Seneca Resorts and CasinoscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecurring partnership for drag bingo and drag brunch productions at Seneca Niagara Casino, Seneca Allegany Casino, and Del Lago Resort & Casino. Productions drive new diverse audiences and measurable F&B revenue for casinos.
• Proctors CollaborativecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTheatrical venue partnership for touring drag productions that fill the house with diverse community-focused programming.
• Funnybone Comedy Club (Albany & Syracuse)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorComedy club venue partnerships hosting drag brunches and holiday shows. Venues provide food/beverage service while Drag Me to the Stage provides entertainment.
• Queer Arts FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Queer Arts Festival for Rochester Queer Arts Festival programming. Collaborative community event supporting LGBTQIA+ artists and allies.
• Blackfriars TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Imagination Station, a free family-friendly children's story hour program featuring Mrs. Kasha Davis. Blackfriars Theatre provides venue for this community outreach program.
• Rochester Queer Arts FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for annual Rochester Queer Arts Festival held at Village Gate and ARTISANworks. Drag Me to the Stage provides drag performances and headliner acts.
• Genesee Country Village & MuseumminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHistorical museum venue for themed drag events including Corsets & Crowns and Herstory & Hashbrowns that blend drag entertainment with historical education.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Caesars Entertainment: Caesars Entertainment is one of the largest U.S. casino and resort operators, running entertainment programming at properties nationwide. It is both a potential enterprise customer for Drag Me to the Stage touring productions and a competitor for entertainment-booking budgets at the same casino venue category.
• AEG Presents: AEG Presents is a global live entertainment promoter and venue operator (including theaters and festivals). It competes with Drag Me to the Stage for the same entertainment-buying customers (casinos, theaters, performing arts centers) at the enterprise bookings level.
• Seneca Resorts & Casinos: Seneca Resorts & Casinos is a major regional casino operator and a flagship enterprise customer of Drag Me to the Stage. From the customer's perspective, its in-house entertainment team could in-source drag programming, making it both a critical partner and a potential competitive threat.
• World of Wonder: World of Wonder is the production company behind RuPaul's Drag Race, Drag Race franchise, and WOWPresents streaming platform. It is the dominant producer in the drag entertainment ecosystem and a broad incumbent whose brand and IP ecosystem shape the demand environment in which Drag Me to the Stage operates.
• Live Nation Entertainment: Live Nation is the world's largest live entertainment promoter and venue operator. It competes broadly for touring entertainment bookings at casinos, theaters, and comedy clubs and could expand into drag touring productions, representing an aspirational ceiling and a competitive threat.

Direct peers

• Producer Entertainment Group: Producer Entertainment Group is one of the largest drag artist management and booking agencies representing RPDR alumni and other LGBTQIA+ talent. It competes with Drag Me to the Stage's in-house artist management arm and overlaps on the same talent roster used for touring shows.
• Murray & Peter Present: Murray & Peter Present produces branded drag shows (including "Drag Brunch" and "Murray Hill's Drag Brunch") in markets like New York, Las Vegas, and nationally. Like Drag Me to the Stage, it monetizes drag entertainment via ticket sales and venue bookings featuring well-known drag performers.
• Voss Events: Voss Events is a national drag brunch and drag show production company that books celebrity drag talent into theaters and venues across the U.S. It is the most direct competitor to Drag Me to the Stage's touring brunch and bingo model, competing for the same RPDR alumni talent and venue relationships.

Regional players

• Funnybone Comedy Clubs: Funnybone Comedy Clubs operates comedy venues in Albany and Syracuse and is an active Drag Me to the Stage venue partner. While not a direct competitor for show production, it represents the broader regional live-entertainment venue category the company sells into and competes with for comedy-driven ticket-buying audiences.
• Blackfriars Theatre: Blackfriars Theatre is a Rochester, NY community theater and a Drag Me to the Stage partner (Imagination Station story hour). It represents the broader regional performing-arts venue category the company partners with for community programming and ticketed events.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drag-me-to-the-stage

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Drag Me to the Stage