Mike Hunt

In 2018-2019 McCurdy followed drag king Mike Hunt through a year of his life in which he entered into a local drag competition 'Wig Wars'. Being the only drag king amongst queens wasn't anything new to Mike, the scene still faces a lot of misogyny and discrimination. Despite this Mike Hunt blazed the trail for kings to come proving himself as one of Scotland's best drag kings and performers. As drag broke into the mainstream it became important to elevate and have the voice of someone in the scene take centre stage, here the project acts a glimpse into the reality of the current social phenomenon.

Mike Hunt entered the annual competition 'Wig Wars', where local drag acts compete for a cash prize, crown, gigs, and the title of Wig Wars Winner. A king has never won before.

"There is so much pressure being one of very few kings."

Mike has a small, dedicated circle of friends out-with the drag community. His partner, Nods, saw his first performance and has missed very few since.

"It's important for me to talk about drag without the influence of drag."

While shooting this project, Mike became a part of the House of Destruction, started by Rayna Destruction. Drag houses, or families, are communities of drag acts that support each other to grow, both as people and as entertainers.

"There's so much learning to be done."

After weeks of competing Mike lost in the final round of Wig Wars to a young queen, Bri Supreme. It came as a shock to both the host, Alice Rabbit, and the audience. A bittersweet moment as Mike became the first king to have made it to the final, but not the first to win.

"Alice whispered that she was proud of me and that I should be too."

Mike returned home after the Wig Wars Final. After weeks of near constant performing and rehearsing, this was the moment he decided to take some time away from drag; to reflect upon the past few week and to come back stronger.

"I live to perform."