Life's a Drag was  a year-long project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and delivered by IAP:MCR in 2016-17.  

Created and managed by artist Jez Dolan, it celebrated the history of drag in Manchester. Life's a Drag wa consisted of:

• Life’s a Drag Live! A performance which took place 3rd – 5th February 2016 at Contact, Manchester as part of the annual Queer Contact season. Written by Chris Hoyle, it was designed and directed by Jez Dolan, with lighting by David Martin, and performed by Andrew Pollard, Daniel Wallace and Michael Betteridge.

• Life’s a Drag exhibition. Open to visitors 26th August – 26th October 2016 at Manchester Central Library, the exhibition featured interviews collected by oral history volunteers, historical records, news reports and photos from the 1800s to the present day, plus original work by Jez Dolan

• Events programme. Various workshops and activities were programmed to develop and enhance the exhibition including: a tour, archive research sessions, oral history training, mobile documentary training, and a writing workshop.

• Life’s a Drag Symposium. A day-long sharing, networking and presentation event on 19th January 2017 at Manchester Central Library.