Viola (drag queen)

Viola
Born
Niall Trowsdale Stannard

2002 or 2003 (age 22–23)[1]
Alma materManchester Metropolitan University
OccupationDrag performer
Television

Viola is the stage name of Niall Trowsdale Stannard,[2] a British drag performer who competed on the second season of Queen of the Universe and the seventh series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK.[3][1]

Career

[edit]

Stannard's first experience with drag was performing as the Killer Queen in a school production of We Will Rock You. His initial drag style was inspired by Trixie Mattel, and his stage name, Viola, is a homage to the violin, an instrument that Stannard began playing at the age of seven. He additionally began playing the flute at age fourteen.[4]

Viola was a contestant on the seventh series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, where she placed in the bottom two on the second episode, but won a lip-sync contest against Pasty, and was safe from elimination. In the following episode, she placed in the bottom again; however, she lost a lip-sync against Nyongbella and became the second queen eliminated from the competition.

Personal life

[edit]

Stannard was raised in Coventry and is currently based in Manchester.[1][4] He attended Manchester Metropolitan University.[4]

Filmography

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Meet the queens competing on RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 7". www.out.com. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  2. ^ Vincent, Lucy (2023-10-02). ""Drag can be anything": Manchester's rising star 'Viola' on Queen of the Universe and navigating the city's drag scene". aah-magazine.co.uk.
  3. ^ Young, Mark (2023-06-19). "'Queen of the Universe' Review: Getting Vocal". Metro Weekly. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  4. ^ a b c Vincent, Lucy. ""Drag can be anything": Manchester's rising star 'Viola' on Queen of the Universe and navigating the city's drag scene". aah-magazine.co.uk. aAh! Magazine. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  5. ^ Vincent, Lucy (2023-10-02). ""Drag can be anything": Manchester's rising star 'Viola' on Queen of the Universe and navigating the city's drag scene". aAh! Magazine. Retrieved 2025-09-26.