Research has found that play is essential to human survival. For kids, play is the avenue by which they make sense of the world, their bodies, and their peers. But the importance of play does not diminish as we grow older. In fact, for adults play may very well be critical to developing stronger social bonds within a given community, providing a boost to our mental health. But what, if anything, is the purpose of play? What does play look like? Where do adults find space for play in their lives? What can children teach adults about play? In what ways do people play with and bend society's expectations, rules, constraints, and constructs? What can play in the workplace achieve? How does play connect us to ourselves, to others, and to place? What challenges us about play? On Episode 1 of Connexion, featuring Toronto Drag Queen Tynomi Banks (Drag Race Canada, S01) we explore growing into drag, drag as playing with one's own identity, play as performativity embodied, and the role of drag as a challenge to societal norms and identity confines.
—Anabelle Budd and P.J. Marcellino