Cotswolds drag artist stars in Amazon Prime documentary

Living Out Loud is written and presented by Cotswolds drag artist Simon Wegrzyn, who competed in RuPaul's Drag Race series four as their alter-ego, Copper Topp.

Based in Gloucestershire, Mr Wegrzyn is also a lecturer in drama and performance practice at the University of Gloucestershire.

Simon said: "The documentary explores how and why the UK, which was once ranked first in Europe for LGBTQ+ rights, has fallen to 22nd out of 45 countries over the past decade.

"Living Out Loud was an absolute joy to film because it felt so immediate.

"We were working in real time, travelling across the country, meeting people in their own communities and responding to events as they happened.

"Hearing such personal stories was incredibly inspiring, and it gave me a renewed belief and confidence in myself as well."

Mr Wegrzyn said he hoped the documentary would reach audiences beyond the LGBTQ+ community and encourage greater understanding.

He said: "I want people who don’t identify as LGBTQ+ to watch it with an open mind.

"To listen, to empathise, and hopefully come away recognising that we’re all just people.

"The more we understand each other, the less room there is for fear or demonisation."

The production also offered two of Mr Wegrzyn’s students from the University of Gloucestershire the chance to gain hands-on experience on set.

He said: "The students have been incredibly supportive.

"One of the most rewarding parts of the project was being able to bring two of our graduating BA (Hons) Drama and Performance Practice students, Phoebe Ashley and LJ King, onto the production to shadow the team and gain first-hand experience of a professional documentary shoot.

"I’d love to continue creating opportunities like that and involve more students in future professional projects."