— ABOUT THE PROJECT

This two-day drag camp is a pilot project that will directly serve queer teenagers in New Brunswick by providing them with a safe space to create while they learn more about the art form of drag. Under the guidance of Acadian drag queen Annabelle Babineau (aka Barb Wire), students will explore self-expression through the art form of drag. For  two days, students will learn firsthand that drag is a form of self-expression and performance art that gives voice to marginalized people, and in some cases, a safe route to newfound family. We will put the tools of creation directly in their hands, so they can leave the camp with more than a makeup kit. They’ll leave the camp with a renewed sense of community, confidence in their own artistic voice, and a sense that they aren’t alone, in a world that may like to convince them they are. 

— BIOGRAPHY

Jena McLean (Playwriting,2021) is a Queer playwright with roots in New Brunswick and Alberta. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Drama studies from Mount Allison University.


Her plays include: An Ocean of Evergreens (digital reading with Theatre New Brunswick, direction by Yvette Nolan, 2020), Missing Her Mother, A Canyon Contained (reading with Notable Acts Theatre Festival, 2019), The Freeze-Dried Groom, Paradoxes (commissioned and produced by Mount Allison University, 2017), and I Am (produced by Notable Acts Theatre Festival, 2015). At NTS, Jena is currently developing Until Tenth Grade (reading with Geordie Theatre, 2021) and Bonus Points if You Have Air Conditioning (NTS’s New Words Festival, direction by Andrew Kushnir, 2021).
Through working with theatre artists such as Andrea Romaldi, Erin Shields and Nick Carpenter, Jena has been empowered to find her own voice as a playwright. Her work is focused on exploring life’s grey areas, personalizing the political, as well as allowing people to feel seen in theatre. She is driven to create work that is rich with complex roles for Queer folks and young women alike.