- Louise Bonpaix
Born in 1995 in Paris, Louise Bonpaix is an artist and performer based in Geneva since 2015, and Tokyo since 2025. They hold a bachelor’s degree in performance (2018) and a master’s degree in visual arts (2021) from HEAD – Geneva.
Through performance and writing, they explore the creation of alter egos and auto-fiction. Their research is about the diversity of gender performances, and cultural appreciation and appropriation phenomena between France and Japan since the XIX century. Since 2018, they have regularly performed as a drag king under the name of « Luigi The Submissive Macho », mainly in Switzerland, but also in France and Japan.
They have performed in pieces by Alexandra Bachzetsis, Anne-Lise Tacheron, Cie Folledeparole and other artists from Switzerland.
Fringe Selection
“A drag king at the Eirakukan Kabuki Theater”
Louise Bonpaix
Area
Venue
Official Meeting Spot: Machi-no-Kichi Antenna
Date and Time
Sep. 22 (Tue) 17:15
Performance Duration
Doors Open: 15 mins before
Performance Language
Admission Fee
Free (No Reservation Required)
How do kabuki and drag share commons points in their roles in today’s society?
Costumes, make-up, wigs, a shouting audience, very codified gestures and poses, construction of alter egos, famous cross-dressing practices… Beside their several common points, do kabuki and drag share similar roles in today’s society?
Nowadays, a lot of people knows what ‘drag queen’ means, much more than ‘drag king’ or ‘drag queer’… As there are many types of drag, we could bring them all under the following definition: the creation and impersonation of an alter ego, with the aim of deconstructing binary gender codes. Through workshops open to all and open stages, drag is an activity accessible to amateurs and a vector of empowerment for LGBT people in many countries.
Despite a worldwide reputation and an undeniable influence outside Japan, kabuki remains a performative art with very high standards and an exclusive practice.
Since both are part of the entertainment industry, how do these two performing arts intersect?
As a drag king performer since 2018, Louise Bonpaix has been immersed in the drag scene for many years in Europe. Since arriving in Japan in 2025, they have been conducting extensive research on Japanese performing arts, both traditional and contemporary. As part of the Toyooka Festival’s Fringe Selection program, they will undertake a ten-day residency in Izushi in November, during the annual kabuki performance season at the Eirakukan Theatre. This residency will allow them to closely study the work of the actors and staff, and the relationship between the theatre itself, the audience, and the city.
They will present the current state of their research and questions during this talk.
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Performers
- Louise Bonpaix
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Staff
- Louise Bonpaix
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Accessibility
Free admission
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Contact Us
- louise.bonpaix@gmail.com
ttf.fringe.2026@gmail.com(Toyooka Theater Festival Fringe)
- Louise Bonpaix
Born in 1995 in Paris, Louise Bonpaix is an artist and performer based in Geneva since 2015, and Tokyo since 2025. They hold a bachelor’s degree in performance (2018) and a master’s degree in visual arts (2021) from HEAD – Geneva.
Through performance and writing, they explore the creation of alter egos and auto-fiction. Their research is about the diversity of gender performances, and cultural appreciation and appropriation phenomena between France and Japan since the XIX century. Since 2018, they have regularly performed as a drag king under the name of « Luigi The Submissive Macho », mainly in Switzerland, but also in France and Japan.
They have performed in pieces by Alexandra Bachzetsis, Anne-Lise Tacheron, Cie Folledeparole and other artists from Switzerland.
- Louise Bonpaix
Born in 1995 in Paris, Louise Bonpaix is an artist and performer based in Geneva since 2015, and Tokyo since 2025. They hold a bachelor’s degree in performance (2018) and a master’s degree in visual arts (2021) from HEAD – Geneva.
Through performance and writing, they explore the creation of alter egos and auto-fiction. Their research is about the diversity of gender performances, and cultural appreciation and appropriation phenomena between France and Japan since the XIX century. Since 2018, they have regularly performed as a drag king under the name of « Luigi The Submissive Macho », mainly in Switzerland, but also in France and Japan.
They have performed in pieces by Alexandra Bachzetsis, Anne-Lise Tacheron, Cie Folledeparole and other artists from Switzerland.
- Louise Bonpaix
Born in 1995 in Paris, Louise Bonpaix is an artist and performer based in Geneva since 2015, and Tokyo since 2025. They hold a bachelor’s degree in performance (2018) and a master’s degree in visual arts (2021) from HEAD – Geneva.
Through performance and writing, they explore the creation of alter egos and auto-fiction. Their research is about the diversity of gender performances, and cultural appreciation and appropriation phenomena between France and Japan since the XIX century. Since 2018, they have regularly performed as a drag king under the name of « Luigi The Submissive Macho », mainly in Switzerland, but also in France and Japan.
They have performed in pieces by Alexandra Bachzetsis, Anne-Lise Tacheron, Cie Folledeparole and other artists from Switzerland.