Minnie Cooper is The 2024 Inductee to The DIVA Hall of Fame
Image: ©johnmcrae
The DIVA Awards are thrilled to announce that the 2024 inductee to the prestigious DIVA Hall of Fame is Minnie Cooper, who has been one of the Sydney LGBTQI+ and drag community’s biggest stars for over two decades.
With a successful career as a musical comedy triple-threat, Minnie’s arrival on the scene created a major splash. I recall one of her very first spot numbers on the small Stonewall Hotel stage was ‘When You Got It, Flaunt It’ from the musical The Producers – and that is exactly what she’s done since.
Minnie Cooper is the most awarded performer in all of DIVA history. Since 2004, she has amassed 25 DIVA Awards – 15 of which are personal awards, and 10 for shows where she has been boss queen. It’s no wonder she is affectionately referred to as ‘Super Duper Minnie Cooper’.
This is the most impressive of records, and now her name will rightly be added to the Hall of Fame, a star-studded roll of drag and showgirl icons who have made a lasting contribution to the Sydney drag industry.
Minnie Cooper has been awarded the top gong of Entertainer of the Year a record four times, in 2005, ‘07, ‘12 and ‘18. Entertainer of the Year is presented to the performer who is at the top of their game and the biggest star of the day. No one else has shown such consistency at this highest level besides Minnie.
Miss Congeniality is a particularly treasured award amongst the drag and showgirl community as it’s chosen by vote, so performers can acknowledge one of their own who is considered an all-round swell queen. Her sister performers and industry peers voted for Minnie to win Miss Congeniality an incredible six times, and I know she treasures this very much.
Minnie is obviously beloved and deeply respected by her peers, so news of her being inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 2024 DIVA Awards is being met with delight amongst the Sydney drag community.
“I feel very grateful about it all – it is really lovely to be recognised,” Minnie told me.
“Collecting so many awards over the years has been amazing, and joining this list of incredible performers who I have admired and respected actually feels like winning.”
The illustrious career of Minnie Cooper
Minnie has over the years produced many of the DIVA Award-winning shows that have been seen on the Oxford Street scene. She was the resident producer of Arq Nightclub’s popular Thursday night shows for 18 years. Many punters will recall with joy hits such as Tworking Girls, Drag ‘n’ fly and Going Gaga.
It is sometimes said we will never again see a clubbing nightlife to equal those days, because it has become too expensive for queens to self-produce drag shows at that level, and shows like this are out of favour with today’s clubbers.
At the Stonewall Hotel, Minnie has been boss queen-in-residence for 20 years, and created hits like Hairspray, Wicked, Kiss my Brass and Electric Heels.
Minnie created the famous Drags to Riches, which ran for five seasons at Arq nightclub and gave the talent quest formula a creative boost. Twelve emerging drag queens competed for a cash prize, and Minnie mentored each baby drag. Every Monday evening, they received performance coaching for that week’s challenge. They also got classes in make-up, wigs, costume on a budget and even tucking. Drag to Riches won a well-deserved DIVA Award in 2016.
Minnie also produced and choreographed many large-scale spectacles at events such as Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Sleaze Ball and Flash Mobs. Performers remember the experience of being in the Minnie show at Mardi Gras in 2008 – for the 30th anniversary I Am What I Am celebration production – with great affection.
In 2016, Minnie was a semi-finalist on Australia’s Got Talent, combining her drag and musical theatre talents. She performed Friend Like Me with her Tiny Teeny Tappers to wide acclaim. For her audition, she performed Anything Goes with her Tappers for a memorable opening number.
Minnie joined the worldwide hit RuPaul’s Drag Race: Down Under, and it was clear she and RuPaul had great chemistry together. Minnie says of that time “It was great to be able to talk about our Sydney drag history, and the queens who had gone before me, on such a big stage.”
In 2018, she moved into the world of cabaret with her one woman show From Chorus Boy to Leading Lady which was the winner of Best In Cabaret & Musical Theatre award at the Sydney Fringe Festival. Minnie is currently working on a plan to bring her show back to the local community later this year.
Minnie’s most recent stage triumph is as a headline vocalist for the successful Club Broadway events, where the crowd goes crazy for her style of musical theatre magic.
It’s certainly been a super duper career so far for this great star, and I’m positive she will be welcomed to the DIVA Hall of Fame with the appropriate fanfare.
Congratulations Minnie Cooper!
Voting for the 2024 DIVA Awards is now open. Head here to cast your vote!
