Just after the COVID lockdown, Tiana Biscuit became the owner/host of Fierce It, holding shows including Drag Under the Stars, and The Halloqueen Ball at the Stanley Arts, which returned in 2022 for the third year. Last year, Tiana was a guest at the Everybody’s Talking About Jamie film premiere, and over this summer, she attended pride events including Tonbridge and Croydon, and she has recently been touring as one of the Step Sisters in the adult pantomime Sinderella. As a child actor, Tiana had roles in the West End including with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with which she performed on the Royal Variety Performance and was part of the cast recording. We talked to Tiana about being the owner/host of Fierce It, touring with Sinderella and performing at pride events.
As the owner/host of Fierce It, can you tell us about the company and how did it come about?
So, it all started just after lockdown, I’ve always wanted to produce shows and I was freshly 18 and saw this wonderful venue online called Stanley Arts and sent an email and it’s all flourished from there.
What has Fierce It been like to work on so far and what do you enjoy most about hosting your own shows?
I love producing and hosting, making people laugh is my favourite thing in the world!! Seeing the process from the very beginnings of a show to the final project is the best, and being able to book those who I think are so talented and deserve to be seen is the greatest.
You’ve recently hosted The Halloqueen Ball, how did this go and what was it like seeing the audience response to the event?
It was the third Halloqueen Ball, every year it just gets better and better, bringing back some old and brand new faces to create such a fun show! It was a roaring success.
Can you say about some of the other events you’ve hosted with Fierce It, which has included Drag Under the Stars?
Yes, we host our annual outdoor shows Drag Under the Stars (formerly known as Drag From a Distance), which are such a fun way of getting the community in South London together, where there’s little to no drag happening, especially over lockdown with so many restrictions, people being about to come and watch drag safely outside.
As a performer, you have been touring as one of the Step Sisters in the adult pantomime Sinderella, how was your time performing with the show?
Ah yes, I had the best time in Sinderella with my gorgeous sister Sophia Stardust by my side. It was so much fun getting to be on stage every night in front of huge audiences, going back to my musical theatre roots in such a fun show. And, also, getting to tour the country, going to so many fabulous places I’ve never seen and not too fabulous ones, hahaha!
Over the summer, you performed at pride events including Tonbridge Pride and Croydon Pridefest, what are pride events like to be part of?
Prides are the best time of year, it was so great to perform at Croydon Pride specifically, as South London and Croydon gets such a bad rep. It was so great to see Croydon come together and share so much love!
Last year, you were invited to attend the Everybody’s Talking About Jamie film premiere, how did you find the experience?
It was so great, ETAJ is such a huge part of my life, it really was the thing that pushed me to do drag. I’ve seen the show over 20 times, I was going through such similar things to Jamie during the time I first saw the show and I just connected with it, so to be invited to the premiere of the movie was other-worldly.
Did you have any favourite drag queens to watch when growing up?
I used to love the likes of Lily Savage, Dame Edna, and then watching Drag Race, I love lots of queens including Latrice Royale, Ginger Minj, Eureka!.
Have you been given any advice throughout your career so far that has stuck with you and do you have a favourite aspect of performing as Tiana Biscuit?
Don’t be a C**T! The biggest advice I can give anyone is be nice to others and it will get you far. Also, anyone starting drag you just have to go for it, put some slap on, you just have to go for it!
We understand you performed in the West End as a child actor, what are some of your favourite memories from the shows you performed in?
Yes, oh I had so many fab memories getting to perform on the Royal Variety Performance, and getting to record the cast recording of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
How do you like to spend your time away from your career?
I love drag, drag is my everything, so I’m always thinking about it. I love going to see my first love, which is theatre. I’m lucky enough that drag is my full-time job, so I love nothing more than a quiet cheeky weekday matinee!
Do you have any career plans or events coming up that you can tell us about?
I have lots in the pipeline. My next show, The Valentine’s Ball, is now on sale! I have my New Queens on The Scene show coming up in January, which is a showcase for new drag artists, my Disney Show in May, and I also have a one-woman show in the pipeline 😉.
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