Anna Glypta

Anna Glypta is a Drag Queen DJ, Hostess and Cabaret Artist based in England. She is the creation of the writer and performer Marcus Rayne. Anna started life as "Burly Shassey" at The Magnum Club in Southampton and it was here that she met Danny la Rue. As Burly Shassey she would Appear in several bars and clubs in the late 1990's and into 2000.

After moving to Leeds and appearing in several "[...] Mystery Weekend" performances playing female roles the character of the "brassy" and "gobby" Anna Glypta was created. In 2003 Anna began to further hone her singing skills as a karaoke hostess and later as the resident DJ and cabaret artist at The New Penny (The oldest continually gay pub in the UK which first opened it's doors as The Hope & Anchor in 1953) and helped turn the fortunes of this once rather shabby pub around. In recent years Anna Glypta has also appeared in Summer Season in Scarborough at The Brittannia Pub. She moved to The Viaduct in January 2007 and helped the turn around from a battered Leeds United supporters bar to a cabaret venue in less than a year. (www.myspace.com/viaductleeds)

As "Wanda Y" she wrote a horoscope column for the now defunct "Scene Magazine" until it was bought out by APN (Now called Bent Magazine). Currently Anna Glypta writes a monthly opinion column in SHOUT! magazine as well as music and concert reviews. She is also a regular Podcaster and Video Blogger on her own website annaglypta.com and on myspace.com/annaglypta, these audio and visual blogs have been picked up by subscribers the world over. In 2006 Anna agreed to be interviewed extensively by a gender studies student. In September 2007 she is due to be interviewed by America's Original Podcasting Drag Queen Wanda Wisdom for her "Lucky [...] Radio" show.

After being ACTIVE on the LGBT Pride teams in Southampton and Croydon Anna Glypta was instrumental in the creation of the Leeds Pride event leedspride.com. In 2006 she was one of the judges and now helps to organise the annual Drag Idol competition held at The Famous Birdcage club. This winter she will be starring in the UK's campest Pantomime "Cinderfella and the Three Bears" as well as helping to organise and take part in the first ever Leeds Winter Pride.

Her charity work includes Mesmac, The Terrence Higgins Trust, Oxfam and the Lifeboat appeal and has seen her do everything from jumping off Scarborough pier (even though she can't swim) to having her head shaved. Her campaign and letters following Leeds Pride 2006 led to the Yorkshire Evening Post thanking her publicly for her promotion work and admitting their oversight in not covering the LGBT event. SHOUT Magazine has called her a "Local Legend" and a "Living Legend".

In August 2007 Anna Glypta appeared on BBC Look North(Video on Youtube) and BBC Radio Leeds. She was also photographed by Reuters News Agency and appeared in local and national Print Media promoting a trans aware night run by Oxfam.

She has hosted the Drag 4 U competition, turned Boys into Girls at The Bad Drag Ball and helped launch the career of several drag queens. In her career to date she has worked alongside Lady Shaun, The Fedettes, Miss Orry, Daniel Cher Bailey, Sam Buca, Nova China, Diana Gloss, Christopher Biggins and the legendary Danny La Rue as well as "Emmerdale"s Matthew Bose. She has also worked with some of the UK's best known male strippers in venues up and down the UK.

Anna Glypta is passionate AbOUT the art of drag and unlike most drag queens has never claimed to be anything other than a man in a dress. On her website she describes her own idols as being Divine, Dawn French and Lilly Savage and this is reflected in her style and sense of comedy put-downs. Her "Drag Archive" has also seen such one-time well known but now retired drag names as Cher Travestie, and Millie Mopp write about their reminiscences. She has performed in cabaret with the short lived "Funny Kunst" and can now be seen throughout the UK as part of "Out and Proud" with Nova China.

She has her own fan-club called the Glyptanites who have even designed some Anna Glypta T-shirts.

Her first single with Dee Original, is due out in late October.

See also

• The New Penny