Fontana DeVine is a dominant and powerful woman played by a soft-spoken and humble man.
She is the drag character of 37-year-old P.J. Sedillo, co-president of Sinatra-DeVine Productions. This Saturday the company will put on "Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are," Albuquerque's fifth annual drag variety show.
The group is a nonprofit organization, and proceeds from the 23-act show will benefit children around the city.
"We have lip-synchers and female impersonators," Sedillo said. "There are professionals all the way to amateurs."
Sedillo said the event has become so successful, it usually sells out.
"We have so many people that want to do numbers, we had auditions this year," he said.
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Sedillo is also co-president of Albuquerque Pride and involved in theater, said he thinks of drag as just another aspect of theater.
He said when he was in a Popejoy production of "The Wizard of Oz," no one thought twice about his costume and makeup.
"I had a bigger costume and more makeup than I do when I am in drag," he said. "But when I say the word 'drag,' people question it."
Drag, which originally stood for "dressed as a girl," is character playing, and Sedillo said people do it every day to some extent.
"They put on a business suit, and you become that role," he said. "Or even if you go to a concert, you dress up. Look at the Goth style. That is the same thing."
He said not everyone in the variety show is homosexual, and the majority of the audience now is straight because the show is so good.
"We originally started in gay bars," he said. "But we wanted to move it to a place so that families could go. What we found out is we now have a place where the whole entire community can go."
The show changes people's lives, Sedillo said. One year a performer had just come out to his parents the week before the show, and they disowned him.
"His theater family came to his side," Sedillo said. "He told his story on stage, broke into tears and sang the song."
This year's theme is "License to Drag," and classic cars will be featured at the event by the car club Rainbow Roadrunners.
Sedillo has been doing drag for about 12 years, and said the worst part is getting ready.
"It takes me three hours, because I have to do a lot of shading just to change the structure of my face," he said. "But when you put on those eye lashes, it changes the look of everything, and I am ready."
He said although he spends a lot of time delving into his character, at the end of the day he can go home and be detached from DeVine, because all he has to do is wash the makeup off.
DeVine is much more outspoken than Sedillo, and all the vices and qualities he would like have come out in her.
"She is very independent," he said. "Fontana is a leader, and we are going to do it her way."
Last year, Sedillo, a teacher at an Albuquerque elementary school, showed he was a leader by fighting to get same-sex benefits for him and his partner, who married in Canada.
"We became the first couple to get spousal benefits from a public school system (in New Mexico)," he said.
Sedillo said drag can be a learning tool for everyone.
"We all have our characters," he said. "Sometimes it is easier to hide behind a mask. We become more honest."
COMING ATTRACTION
"Come out,Come out,Wherever you are"
Hiland Theatre,4804 Central Ave.
Saturday at 7 p.m.
Tickets: 262 9301
