CONNECTIVITY (Sasha Velour’s TRAVESTY)

James Blaszko is a first-generation American director and creative producer. After staging and translating Sapphira Cristál’s maxi challenge-winning performance of “O mio babbino caro” for RuPaul’s Drag Race on MTV, as well as directing her popular music video of the same aria, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts commissioned Blaszko to open their 2024 Summer for the City Festival with Soundcake, starring Cristál, Monét X Change, and Thorgy Thor. He has directed several other concert works and special events including Tamar-kali’s Freedom is a Constant Struggle (Lincoln Center), We Count (Harare International Festival of the Arts) and Ride of the Valkyries! (Boston Lyric Opera) narrated by David Hyde Pierce. Most recently, Blaszko served as Lena Waithe’s creative producer on her sold-out playwright and stage acting debut, trinity at Baltimore Center Stage. He continues to tour Liza Jessie Peterson’s The Peculiar Patriot, presented at Woolly Mammoth in 2019, to theatres and prisons across the country, with its next presentation at New York Theatre Workshop this May.

Tamar-kali is an award-winning composer, vocalist and performer whose practice extends from of alt rock and opera to film and symphonic work with radical depth and emotional precision. Her debut original score for Dee Rees’ Oscar-nominated ‘MUDBOUND’ was classified by Indiewire as one of the Best Film Scores of the 21st Century. The soundtrack for her score to Josephine Decker’s ‘SHIRLEY’ was named The Guardian’s Contemporary Album of the month. Her original score for history-making cinematographer Rachel Morrison’s directorial debut, ‘The Fire Inside’ made 2025’s Oscar Shortlist. She has collaborated with visionaries including Steve McQueen, Bill T. Jones, and Julie Dash.

As a performer, her work has graced world-class stages. Commissioned works include the song cycle ‘Melancholy Ghosts and Other Mothers’ for Beth Morrison Projects, the LA Opera digital short ‘We Hold These Truths’ directed by Peabody award winner dream hampton, and the solo cello work, ‘Little Bear Awakens’ for acclaimed cellist Matt Haimovitz. 2026 will herald new works for cellist and multidisciplinary artist Jeff Ziegler as well as a vocal and quartet piece for Grammy award-winning soprano. 

Matthew Principe is an internationally recognized producer, strategist, and arts innovator. His work includes collaborations with the Metropolitan Opera, Detroit Opera, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Apollo, Santa Fe Opera, and Boston Baroque. As founder of Principe Dynamics, he bridges historical performance with contemporary storytelling, and advances sustainable models for new works and artist-centered practices, positioning the arts as a living, socially resonant force in the 21st century. Equally adept in several mediums, he has produced award-winning short films (Monsura is Waiting, Stag), theater (Candy & Dorothy).  This season, projects include Producer of two audio recordings of song and opera, and Cultural Partnerships Producer for the documentary film VIVA VERDI! featuring the Oscar-nominated song “Sweet Dreams of Joy.”

HIGHBALL PRODUCTIONS
Owner / Executive Producer 

Dubbed “Queen of 17th Street,” Citrine (she/her) is an award-winning emcee, makeup artist, model, performer, and drag queen extraordinaire. With over 7 years of drag performance and industry experience, she currently serves as the drag matriarch at the historic JRs Bar in Dupont Circle as well as Executive Producer and Co-Founder of the drag musical theatre group Highball Productions DC. From her conceptual and creative fashions to her keen eye for quality, this exquisite trans filipina beauty is the complete package ready for the stage, the runway, and beyond! 

HIGHBALL PRODUCTIONS
Owner / Production Daddi 

Dr. Torcher (they/them) is a DC-based drag king and co-producer on the Highball Productions team. They produced and hosted the legendary monthly variety spectacle, the DC Weirdo Show, for four sold-out years. This show was voted Best of Gay DC “Best Queer-Friendly Night Out” by the Washington Blade in 2019. Bigger than a rolled-up sock in some boxer briefs, this king’s toolbox of skills comes packed with improv, stand-up, clown, physical comedy, fire-eating, balloon manipulation, hooping, pole, magic, and puppetry. “Dr” is their PhD in Anthropology (no really!) and “Torcher” is what happens to your heart when they light that flame… and EAT it!

HIGHBALL LEADERSHIP
Owner / Artistic Director 

Known as DC’s “tallest, hairiest, petite woman” Vagenesis (she/her) is an award-winning drag entertainer and black bearded beauty. She began performing in 2018 and has since been taking the drag scene by storm. She continues to share her talents across the country as the first ever crowned National Bearded Empress, bringing her unique brand of comedy and charisma to each of her shows. Vagenesis is an activist, advocating for all styles of drag, queerness, and people of color. She is the creator of “Black Label: a showcase of black queer artistry” which promotes inclusive casting and representation. Out of drag, Vagenesis is known as Anderson, a maker of theatre, an acting teacher, and an outspoken non-binary activist.