A shiny blue star of NYC drag stages, including a fun weekly show in Chelsea: Alestaria! [Cover photo: Briton David]
Thotyssey: Alestaria, hello! Thanks for chatting today! So, farewell summer… how did the season treat you?
Alestaria: Hey Thotyssey! Thank you for having me. Summer is my favorite season, and I had so much fun this summer. I spent a lot of time with friends and being outside.
Sounds perfect! Were you sad that there famously was no 2025 Song of the Summer?
I was. Last summer we were spoiled with so many; I think there was potential for some, but they were released too early in the year.
Agreed! As we approach Halloween, does spooky drag appeal to you at all?
Spooky drag is amazing. I think it pushes the boundaries of beauty, and challenges the standard. I haven’t watched Dragula in a minute, but I’m always impressed by how the contestants can make something dark and sinister so beautiful and mesmerizing. The second time I performed in drag in NYC, I did a Pennywise themed number. Very much out of my comfort zone, but I had a lot of fun with it.
Where are you from originally, and did you grow up with an inclination towards art, dance, makeup, performance, etc.?
I was born in Washington DC and started dancing when I was three. Later, I moved to Michigan when I was 10, where I graduated from college. My parents always encouraged me to pursue my passions, and I definitely found a home in the arts — dance being my first love, but I also sang in choirs and was in my high school’s Theatre Guild. I love performing, so any chance I get to be on stage is the best feeling for me. I didn’t really get into make up until a few years ago. I knew how to do stage makeup for my dance shows, but was always mesmerized by the queens on Rupaul’s Drag Race.
How exactly did your own drag life start… and is your name inspired by anyone or anything specific?
My drag life started through encouragement from my chosen family; they would say “if you beat that face, you can be a drag queen.” One night my roommate at the time and my drag sister Rhea Mezzanine did my makeup, and when I looked in the mirror I was like, “oh, she’s giving!”
I love performing as I mentioned before, but performing by myself seemed scary. Ultimately developing my drag persona and my name helped give me the confidence boost that I needed. My drag name is a mix of my boy name and my love for stars. Putting “star” in my drag name really helped me believe that I am a star. Alestaria is the fierce performer that has always been inside. I still get nervous when I perform… but once the lights and music come on, my Alestaria switch turns on and I feel my most powerful.
How might you describe the looks and numbers you serve today, as a queen of NYC?
Looks-wise, Alestaria gives Y2K pop diva. I love the color blue — but every now and then I venture out into other colors. Any chance I get to incorporate stars into my looks, I do.
Performance-wise, I love a high energy dance number… but most often perform midtempos. I also love giving a ballad — a “park and bark” performance where I can just deliver emotion and passion.
You’re in an interesting position in the city’s very crowded drag scene, in that you’re still a fairly new performer who might still be doing the competitions and pop up guest appearances across the city… but you also co-host a weekly show in Chelsea that’s been running for several months, while obviously having other responsibilities as well! Is it a challenge to balance all that?
Of course! Apart from drag, I still have a full time job in retail, I cater from time to time, and was a dance instructor at a studio in Long Island for the last three years. I’m also still dancing and training as well. I balance it all by finding time to play video games and just chill at home. But I’m always thinking about drag, whether I’m walking around the city and seeing inspiration for a new look or hearing a song or quote that would be an amazing number.
“Unleashed,” your weekly Wednesday show that you co-host with Rhea Mezzanine with support from DJ Steve Sidewalk, has been running since March… starting back when its venue G Lounge was still Rebar! How might you describe the show, and what’s been the experience like for you co-hosting it?
The show is a mix of “kiki with your best girlfriends” and show stopping performances. Each week we end the show with a theme that changes every week. I think the audience has been enjoying that. They never know what they’re gonna get. Co-hosting with Rhea is amazing! We have so much fun together, on and off stage. The best part is that we’re both so professional, and just like any live show something will go wrong… and we both handle it and make it work.
Fun fact: Rebar was the first bar I ever performed at in NYC, back in September or October of 2019. I was dancer for a local artist. So now having a weekly show there really feels full circle.
What else is coming up for you?
Rhea and I are planning a show for October ,”The Diva Ball.” We will share more details later. But we also have “Unleashed” every Wednesday, 7pm at G Lounge.
And finally: what’s your favorite / most essential item in your drag bag, cosmetic or otherwise?
My favorite item is the wig. You can do so much with it, and I love incorporating it into my performances. But I think the most essential “item” is bringing me to the performance. I’ve arrived at plenty of gigs and forgotten a costume, heels, wig, etc. — but at the end of the day if you can give a good performance, the audience doesn’t always care what you look like.
Shine on, Alestaria!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Alestaria’s upcoming appearances, and follow her on Instagram and TikTok.
Thotyssey 
