We talked with Le Faux producer and director Eladio Preciado about all things drag—and why Seattle’s LGBTQ scene and Pride Month are simply fab.

“Le Faux (300 Boradway E) is the second-largest show of our type, next to a show in Vegas. We’re also the longest-running [drag] show in Seattle’s history.”

“Before any number comes out, it can be up to a year that we work on the number to bring it to stage. We do a lot of behind-the-scenes work. All the costumes are exact replicas. We do exact hairstyling, mannerisms, all of the pieces that make this number work. We do everything. It’s a full production show—it’s not like a drag show you see in a bar. It’s a Vegas-style show in Seattle.”

“The show itself is always evolving and changing. So my favorite time is whatever is brand new and is coming out. That’s what energizes me as a producer and director—what I get to create next.”

“RuPaul’s Drag Race has had numerous people that have come from Le Faux, including the winner of season five, Jinkx Monsoon. She was the host of Le Faux for about a year and a half, and we’ve had two others who were also in on our cast who went on to RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

“We have an all-day drag event in June [during Seattle PrideFest]; it starts at noon and goes until 10 at night. We focus on the local drag scene, and invite local performers to come to our venue. It gives them the chance to see what it’s like performing in front of a live audience. It’s our way of giving back to the community.”

“Capitol Hill itself is diverse, and the gay scene has changed so much. We get to be all the things to all the people. A lot of younger kids who are just coming out are trying to identify with something, and they find us and we give them a chance to self-identify when they couldn’t before.”

“We are a very accepting city, and you get to be who you want to be. Capitol Hill is one of those neighborhoods where you can be as conservative or as crazy as you want, and it’s all OK. There’s no judgment.”

“In the old days, it was just like ‘a gay guy and a lesbian,’ but now there’s all these other factions because it’s not so black and white. People identify in so many different ways, and you can see that on the Hill.”

“Pride is just a fun time when people come out from all over—not only Seattle, but all over the country—and they come here because they know that we’re a very accepting and different culture. You get to be crazy for the month.”