Lórcan Strain: 'I learned that it didn’t matter what my sexuality was'

Starring in The Glass Menagerie in Cork, the actor says they have no problem mixing straight roles with their work as a drag performer

Mon, 31 Jul, 2023 - 21:30

Colette Sheridan

Lórcan Strain (who identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns they/them), was begged by their mother not to take their Barbie doll into school at the age of four. But Strain, who stars in The Glass Menagerie at the Everyman, did just that. And that was the beginning of the bullying they encountered which included being beaten up and thrown into bins at secondary school. But it was mainly verbal abuse and slurs.

Now aged 32 and excited about their career, Strain says their family always supported them even though they are practising Catholics. Coming from what Strain describes as a conservative place - Milford in Co Donegal – school was tolerable because being mixed, they had female friends who stuck up for them.

But Strain reckons the stigma with never stopped them from being an outgoing person. “But it stopped me from freely expressing who I was. Now, I feel like I’m 21. I’m only living my true self now because I have the vocabulary to understand who I am. I knew I was gay from the day I was born. I was naturally bright at school but never really put in a lot of effort. I was so distracted at the time.”

At 15, Strain started drinking and taking drugs. “I came out when I was 21. But before that, when I was 17 and going to college, my mum asked me if I was gay. My family were completely okay about it.”

The booze and drugs were about escapism, and Strain was fortunate to come out the other side without doing major damage. “I did it to fit in with the cool kids because if you’re hanging out with them, they’re not going to bully you.”

It was when Strain started attending Sligo IT to study performing arts that they found their tribe.

"It was an open environment. The freaks and the geeks all stuck together. It was very liberating, not having to pretend to be someone else. But I still suppressed a lot of things. At drama classes, they kind of break you down to build you up. For me, my sexuality always came into play. When I was playing straight characters, I’d always think I was too gay. I could never truly let go. I didn’t feel confident as an actor even though I got lots of assurance.”

Lórcan Strain (back right) with the other cast members of The Glass Menagerie, at the Everyman.

After college, Strain moved to Dublin and was told by a few important people in the industry to hide their sexuality or they wouldn’t get to play romantic leads. "So that completely sent me crazy. I stopped getting cast in things because you can’t play someone else when you’re already playing a character that is not yourself. I was blocked, constantly wearing one of my masks.”

In between working in restaurants and bars, Strain got the occasion decent acting gig. They pushed through, overcoming their inhibition. “I learned that it didn’t matter what my sexuality was... I think I’m being my authentic self now, confident at auditions and in the rehearsal room.”

In Cork, Strain is playing a heterosexual man called Jim in the Tennessee Williams’ classic play. Their character has been set up with Laura, a mentally fragile young woman, by her brother who wants his sister to have a boyfriend.

In 2019, Strain fell into a drag act by accident, prompted by a drag artist friend to perform one of the characters they play when drunk. The character is Marian Mary The 6th, a Donegal woman full of Catholic guilt and nasty and blasphemous at the same time. It went down very well in Dublin, and in Cork.

Initially, Strain had “judgements” about drag artistes thinking they couldn’t also be actors. But now, Strain, who is based in London, has no problem switching from straight acting to drag.

They starred in Candy Warhol’s show drag show, The Wind That Shakes The Wig at this year’s Cork Midsummer Festival. Strain says the drag scene in Cork is lively with a drag collective called Mockie-ah performing in venues such as Chambers on Washington Street and other bars.

London is where Strain feels particularly comfortable. “I love living there. It’s a hard city but when you’re part of a queer community, you’re automatically accepted into this family. Everyone thinks the drag scene is bitchy and catty but it’s the complete opposite. It’s love and joy and it’s very supportive.”

Strain has their own show coming up at the Dublin Fringe in September, entitled Songs of Theys. “It’s a queer Mass for the masses with a choir at its core.”