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You are cordially invited to the wake of drag queen Courtney Berringers, but please, bring your own heels.

Malcom Morgan-Petty, known in the local drag scene as CoCo Caliente, is starring as Courtney in the Santa Fe Playhouse production of 鈥淎t the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen.鈥�

He said throughout show rehearsals, he had to slow down while connecting with his character because he sometimes found moments in the play similar to those in his real life.

鈥淭hose moments are sometimes scary,鈥� Morgan-Petty said.

鈥淚 really had to work hard in those last scenes to hold myself together and get through it and ground myself as a character,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ecause the similarity in what happened in my own family and things like that started flooding through my memories.鈥�

Director Damian Lockhart said the show invites the audience into Courtney鈥檚 world as she tells bits and pieces of her life story. He said the play explores themes of Southern queerness, Black identity, the AIDS and HIV epidemic, and more.

It is a thought-provoking show, he said, with deep undertones and themes that Santa Fe will thrive on. The community will enjoy the story and hopefully leave with two key messages, Lockhart said.

鈥淥ne, live a life worth living. Live a life that is big and meaningful,鈥� Lockhart said, 鈥渁nd two, to continue to be advocates for this AIDS and HIV disease that still haunts us in the South.鈥�

鈥淎t the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen鈥� was written by Terry Guest and is set in Albany, Georgia, in 2004, with lots of references to the 鈥�90s and early 2000s.

鈥淕rowing up and having lived in 2004, you can clearly see the influence of the time period within all of the elements of the show,鈥� Lockhart said. 鈥淔rom the costumes to the set to the music, even the style of drag that we鈥檙e doing, and the makeup that we鈥檙e using is very, very influenced by what was happening in the early 2000s.鈥�

A key point from this time period, Lockhart said, was the policy changes that happened in the healthcare system concerning AIDS and HIV.

With healthcare funding now facing similar issues and cuts, Morgan-Petty said, 鈥淎t the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen鈥� fits the Santa Fe Playhouse theme of 鈥淧ower Plays鈥� by addressing past and present access to healthcare.

The show uses the central relationship in the show, Courtney鈥檚 relationship with fellow drag queen Vickie, to address those issues.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a dichotomy there between myself and my love interest, access to healthcare and things of that nature, and it really shows throughout the show,鈥� Morgan-Petty said.

Lockhart said the play also explores the universal theme of queer young adults growing up with their family elders.

鈥淪pecifically for like the southern Black boy who has a tight relationship with his grandmother,鈥� Lockhart said. 鈥淲hether that is because you went to church all the time with grandma, or you watch her stories, or whatever it is, there is that sense of familiarity in this story, and it鈥檚 very palpable.鈥�

Throughout the show, Courtney talks about her relationship with her grandmother and visiting her home. Morgan-Petty said stepping into Courtney鈥檚 shoes and showcasing that relationship brought up memories of his late grandmother, to the point he began to dream of her.

鈥淚 bring my grandmother so much (into) this play,鈥� Morgan-Petty said.

Lockhart said witnessing Morgan-Petty bring personal anecdotes and feelings into the production has been moving and mesmerizing. He said audiences will walk away feeling full and complete.

While the show has its sadder moments, Morgan-Petty said he has not laughed so much in his life as an actor. He said the audience will go through a roller coaster of emotions.

鈥淚 want to make sure that the audience knows that while there is drag,鈥� Morgan-Petty said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 not a drag.鈥�

Elizabeth Secor is an arts fellow from the New Mexico Local News Fellowship program. You can reach her at esecor@abqjournal.com.