Up-and-coming Brazilian drag artist applauds Espoo’s open cultural activities
After moving to Finland a few years ago, Luis Hult, also known by the artist name Friday the Professor, has started to get invitations to perform at various events. The Espoo Cultural Centre will present Friday the Professor’s drag-based production AFRONTE – Proud in Drag! performance on Friday 5 June as part of the Pride Month programme of Espoo’s Cultural Venues and Services.
Scroll to the bottom of the article to see which cultural events Luis recommends in Espoo. But first, let’s get to know the artist.
Luis, who grew up in the city of Santa Rita in rural Brazil, talks about the challenges of growing up as a member of a minority.
“I had no idea what ‘gay’ meant, and I didn’t understand why I was getting called that. I also experienced different degrees of violence. I had never even heard of drag until I was around 17 years old,” says Luis.
Due to the bullying, he ended up spending a lot of time alone at home. This is when he discovered pop culture.
“I wasn't interested in theatre, but I found music comforting. Especially Madonna’s lyrics struck a chord. I danced around my mother’s house like a drag queen. Recently, I had an opportunity to perform the same songs that I used to perform in my childhood home. Back then, I could not have imagined that I would became a performing artist one day!”
Listening to music also helped Luis improve his English, which was a big help with later career advancement.
“Around the time when I was finishing high school, an American woman came up to me at a bus stop and I realised that I could speak English,” Luis says in fluent English.
Luis ended up becoming a drag artist little by little.
“I started DJing in Brazil, and one time I got dressed in drag. A year later, I started doing drag shows. I hadn’t seen anyone doing the kind of drag that I wanted to do, and at first, I played with gender. At that time, I was working on my master’s degree in teaching natural sciences and mathematics and writing my thesis on the gender relations in science and in the scientific community. That’s where it all started!”
Finding a home in Finland through a series of coincidences
Luis came to Finland for the first time in 2017 and returned several times after the first visit. Back then, Luis who is a science and chemistry teacher from Monday to Friday, worked on development projects with his previous workplace in Brazil in cooperation with the Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK).
“I got a teacher’s qualification in Hämeenlinna during the pandemic. I was planning to go back to Brazil, but then I met my Finnish husband and got a job as a teacher at a general upper secondary school, so I stayed here,” the teacher-artist, who loves his day job, says smiling.
Luis says that he now knows what the famous Finnish happiness feels like. It’s possible to use many different skills and improve oneself.
“It still makes me teary-eyed thinking back to the job interview and how the principal asked me if I was a drag queen. I hadn’t mentioned it before, but I said yes and decided to be myself. I told them that I had worked with human rights-related programmes and activities. When I saw the joy in the principal’s eyes, I had never felt such a sense of safety before. I was going somewhere where I would be able to be myself. I called my husband right away after the interview. I had been trying to find a full-time job for a while and I was about to move to Germany for another job opportunity.”
Luis also feels honoured to have been nominated at the Queer Gala for his work as a teacher.
“I always think that I want to be the kind of a teacher that I would have liked to have. Finland has had a fundamental impact on my happiness and is an important place for me in a sense of fulfilment as a person, teacher and artist.”
Drag career is taking off
The drag-based AFRONTE production presented at the Cultural Centre got its start in Brazil. Luis, aka Friday the Professor, is not only the host, but the executive producer and brains behind the production and also the only permanent drag artist. Otherwise, each performance features a different group of drag performers.
As challenging as it was to find a teacher’s job in Finland, it didn’t get any easier when it came to being a drag artist in a new country.
“In 2021, I did my first DJ gig in Finland while working as a teacher. I tried to offer my set to various venues, but no one seemed interested. Now some of the same venues have got in touch on their own initiative.”
The AFRONTE group came together again for Pride Month 2024, now supported by drag artists living in Finland. AFTONTE has performed around the Helsinki Metropolitan Region as well as elsewhere in Finland. AFRONTE is now coming to the Espoo Cultural Centre for the second time.
Particularly inspiring drag queens, who have supported Friday the Professor and have been part of all editions of the event in Finland, are Nix Conspiracy and Roseta La León, also performing at the Espoo Cultural Centre.
“I was the first drag queen Roseta had ever seen, at least live, and now she is a guest actor at the Finnish National Opera!(external link, opens in a new window) Nix Conspiracy runs her House of Conspiracy and productions linked to her passion for drag.
Pride Month’s cultural picks
The Pride Week performance at the Espoo Cultural Centre features 21 drag artists – queens, kings and creatures.
“Louhisali at the Espoo Cultural Centre is an amazing venue, and the staff always has your back. We need more venues like this that are open to all musicians and performers.”
Each artist included in the AFRONTE event has their own style, voice and story.
AFRONTE – Proud in Drag! (Fri 5 June, Espoo Cultural Centre)
The drag artist applauds the cultural offering and content aimed at minorities in Espoo. A few interesting events immediately caught her attention in Espoo’s Pride Month calendar:
Espoo Bay Pride (Sat 6 June, Hybridiarena Hype)
“I’m so happy that there are drag events in Espoo! Out of the performers at Espoo Bay Pride, I know Gisella who will join us at AFRONTE on 5 June and Miss Lumiere for her Lady Gaga impersonation performances. Both are incredible – you never get sick of seeing them on the stage!”
Aurora’s summer stage: Mimi and Kuku (Thu 25 June, Children’s Cultural Centre Aurora)
“I like these lovely, fun events for kids. I would come see this with my nephew.”
You can find more Pride events and many others in the CultureEspoo event calendar. Friday the Professor is especially interested in what’s going on at the library and the summer courtyard at the Glims Farmstead Museum.
Library day camp (1–12 June, Espoo Cultural Centre)
“People should read more. I support reading and I think that it’s always good to organise events like this one.”
Breakfast for the sheep (Sun 14 June, Glims Farmstead Museum)
“I love sheep! I want to come and feed them in drag,” Luis says.
Friday the Professor could not find a Pride parade in Espoo because the City of Espoo is part of the Helsinki Pride parade.
“I would also like to march in the Pride parade with Espoo!”
The City of Espoo is an official Working with Pride partner of the Helsinki Pride Community in 2026.
See what else is going on here: Cultural events in Espoo
Check out previous culture picks: www.espoo.fi/en/culture-picks
Read more about Friday the Professor: fridaytheprofessor.com(external link, opens in a new window)