They hailed from a forest not even the locals know, but now regularly enters the spotlight and struts down runways.
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Sean French grew up in Whroo Forest, about a 15-minute drive from Murchison, which is where their love for performance began.
“When I was really young, Mum came and picked me up from kinder and she walked in to me sitting with a bunch of five and six-year-old students doing singing lessons. I was three,” Sean said.
Performance stole Sean’s heart, but so did beauty, fashion and make-up, even as a toddler.
“There’s this picture of me as a toddler wearing lipstick and I really liked it, I fully smeared lipstick all over my face,” they said.
“It gave my mum confidence and I loved it, so I think that’s when my mum knew that I was born to be a performer.”
Being the kid who loved singing and beauty never seemed to be an issue in the early years of Sean’s education.
“I went to Murchison Primary School and I would do choir and Murchison’s Got Talent where I would always sing, it was just who I was.”
But when they entered the daunting days of secondary school, their world of love and acceptance was shattered by high school boys.
“In Year 7 I went to high school and to be honest, it was a bit of a culture shock,” they said.
“In primary school, no-one questioned what made me different. I was always the lovable but out-there kid, but at my new school, I was immediately ‘the gay kid’.
“I think I came out in Year 9 or 10, but everyone knew before then.
“I remember coming into school each day, feeling really self-conscious. I felt like a robot, like I couldn’t really do what felt right for me.
As the years went by, Sean felt that the queer community wasn’t represented in their education unless it was for a diversity checkbox to be ticked.
“I ended up being the gay poster child for the school.”
If they needed to demonstrate diversity, Sean said they would be put front and centre.
“But when I would advocate for change, nothing happened.”
Despite the issues they had during schooling, Sean was able to experience the wonders of high school theatre, which they immediately embraced.
“In Year 8 I did the junior production of Mulan, I was one of the soldiers who had to dress up as geishas and I remember going up to the director and saying that I really enjoyed it,” Sean said.
“My school’s production director was my biggest supporter, but it was a double-edged sword.
“I could never play straight. I was never able to break out of the typecast.
“I was never just a park ranger, I was the fruity park ranger.”
At 16 years old, Sean was introduced to the wonders of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, and although they didn’t know it at the time, it would lead them down a road of self-discovery.
“I started watching drag race on Fridays after school,” they said.
“I remember I would pretend to study, and instead, I would secretly watch Drag Race.
“In regional Victoria, there’s no way in hell that you could say ‘oh yeah I love Drag Race’ and you could never have a drag queen in Shepp.”
After finishing up their secondary school studies, Sean was ready to move to the big city, but life had other plans.
“The uni course I wanted to do needed an 80 ATAR and I didn’t reach that,” they said.
“I was heartbroken that I couldn’t move to Melbourne, but mainly, I was shattered that I would have to stay in Shepp for another year.
“I was lucky to get into a TAFE course at Swinburne, a Diploma of Graphic Design, which allowed me to move to Hawthorn and I’ve lived in the eastern suburbs ever since.”
It wasn’t all smooth-sailing after the move; COVID-19 hit Australian soil, and lockdowns were imminent.
“I made the really tricky decision to stay in Hawthorn and not go home during the stage four Melbourne lockdowns,” they said.
“Even if they opened up regional Victoria, I would have felt less isolated in stage four lockdowns than in my home town.
“It’s sad that everyone has to move to Melbourne to be themselves but there’s nothing more isolating than being queer in regional Victoria.”
Isolated no more, Sean was able to spread their wings both figuratively and with eyeliner.
“In 2019 I was cast in RENT as Angel,” they said.
“I was 18 and had only been in Melbourne for a couple of months, but I had bought these pleaser heels, and in that role, I was responsible for everything: hair, make-up, costume, everything.
“I started playing around with make-up, dabbling in drag and I really enjoyed the transformation aspect.
“I knew I wanted to pursue drag but I didn’t know who I wanted to be.”
Three years later, in 2022, Sean would meet their drag alter ego.
“I really pursued drag last year, and I had gone through a few names without really having my heart set on one,” they said.
“The advertising student in me was like, there has to be a pun, but none came to mind.”
They knew they loved drag and theatre.
They knew their dream role was Roxie Hart from Chicago.
They knew the iconic Guys and Dolls song, Sit down, you’re rockin’ the boat.
And they know how to rock the boat.
So just like that, Roxie Boat was born.
Roxie is a “lazy” queen, thrifting all of her costumes, doing hair and make-up by herself and refusing to shave her legs, so seven layers of tights it is.
Looking at her, you’d never know, as she often wears authentic 1950s and 60s pin-up dresses and a face painted to the gods.
Speaking as Roxie in character, she said drag to her was about humour and clever character-building, not about impersonating women or femininity.
“I have hosted boat performances and I’m lucky in that I have a recognisable character, which I play into, I mean, my favourite thing to perform is My Heart Will Go On,” she said.
“I have an audio editing background, so I love to create mixes of songs to create a story; my best one is about Donald Trump’s impeachment, where I put together Pound the Alarm by Nicki Minaj and Release Me by Agnes.
“Drag’s never been about looking pretty or trying to impersonate or mock women; for me, it’s about, ‘How can I embrace my femininity in a way to mock society and make people chuckle?’.
“I also want people to see me and know that femininity isn’t one thing or one look, it’s whatever makes you feel it.”
Recently, several Shepparton drag events were cancelled, which Roxie finds disappointing, but unsurprising.
“It’s honestly scary for us performers, even in Melbourne,” she said.
“People were losing work because police were shutting down clubs and bars due to protesters.
“Drag is an art form, and like all art, there is a range of appropriateness; some songs have swearing in them, but it doesn’t mean we cancel all music events because a few pieces are inappropriate for kids.
“What I do is art and I want to share it with an audience and make them laugh, that’s all.”
To see more of Roxie Boat, head to her instagram at @roxie.boat
Cadet Journalist