“We are entertaining our community and allowing our entertainers to explore the boundaries of beauty, sexuality and gender presentation.” —SUE HAAS, CO-OWNER
OF BEAUTY BEYOND DRAG
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN HUVER; LOCATION COURTESY OF HARMONY HALL BREWERY
PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF BEAUTY, ONE DRAG SHOW AT A TIME BY MICHELLE JOKISCH POLO
G
rowing up in West Michigan, Bradley Haas never thought one day he would direct and produce drag shows for a living.
“It all started as a pipe dream,” Bradley explained. A pipe dream that began when he started attending local drag shows in Grand Rapids. Captivated by
the confidence of the drag queens and kings he saw performing, he knew he wanted to take part in the spectacle. Drag is not just for cisgender men (the term cisgender refers to people whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth), although their stories and personnas are the ones typically seen on television. Bradley never felt like he fit in the traditional drag scene.
“I started doing drag when I was 18 but I wasn’t your cookie-cutter “pretty girl” in the scene and that was hard for me. I didn’t feel like I fit in,” he added. It was those experiences that inspired Bradley to dream of an allinclusive drag production company. “We have entertainers from every walk of life,” Bradley shared. “We allow a queen with a big old beard to come into our stage. We don’t make them shave their chests. We let them be who they are in getting into their characters.” It was Bradley’s mother, Sue Haas, who first believed in his dream and encouraged him to make it a reality. “Brad’s very first show was at Tip Top Deluxe Bar and Grill in the westside of Grand Rapids in 2018 and after seeing how the crowds reacted to the show, I knew he had something there” Sue said. With a background in business, Sue knew exactly what to do. “I told Brad to create proposals and reach out to venues in town and offer their services while I would help in the behind the scenes,” she explained. Two months later, they teamed up to form Beauty Beyond Drag. Sue says she never really imagined she would start, what likes to call, “an oddball business” with her son. “I’ve always been very business-oriented, and I always wanted to have a family business. As far as the logistics of the business itself ... Brad is phenomenal at social media and marketing, and I am the business end as far as
PHOTOGRAPHY BY A PAIGE PHOTOGRAPHY
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Women’s LifeStyle Magazine • April 2020
