In late January, B Noel Thomas made the greatest discovery of her life.

Thomas, then a nonbinary artist using she/they pronouns, was performing in drag at San Francisco’s Oasis, a popular queer nightclub. She had plenty of rituals to go through before her time onstage — get the hip pads on, make sure the corset fit extra tight, makeup on point. But once the show concluded and she went on to enjoy the night with friends, she decided not to change any of her outfits, choosing in that moment to live out loud instead of scaling down and cowering.

“That was the most comfortable I ever was just going out; I didn’t want to hide in the corner,” Thomas told The Chronicle. “After that, I was like, let me just try it as me in my body and learn to love my body. If I’m comfortable already when it’s just me, I can walk every day as this.”

Thomas has spent the past 10 years as a popular performer throughout the Bay Area, and is spearheading a premiere this month at Z Space in San Francisco for “The Red Shades: A Trans Superhero Rock Opera,” opening Saturday, Oct. 22.

Set in the Tenderloin District, the story follows Ida, a transgender teen girl who joins a group of adventurous trans superheroes. Thomas plays Sherry, the leader of those superheroes, known as the Red Shades.

For Thomas, the ability for her, a Black transgender woman, to perform a show with fellow transgender performers is special, an opportunity for members of a marginalized community to see themselves reflected onstage. She no longer identifies as nonbinary, having moved fully toward her transition, engaging in hormone therapy for the past six months.

In her early years, Thomas set out on a very different path from where she is now as a performer. She grew up in a religious, churchgoing family in Richmond, where she still resides, and due to her 6-foot-1 build, played high school football on the varsity team as a freshman. But she found out early that her passions did not lie on the gridiron. Her final three years of high school at Oakland School of the Arts led her to a life-changing realization.

One day, she noticed a male-identifying student performing in a play readying himself by putting on stage makeup. Merely witnessing this ritual, so synonymous with theatrical artistry, awakened something in her.

“In my head, I was like, ‘Oh, boys can wear makeup?’ ” recalled Thomas. “That was already the spark of curiosity, and it just sort of evolved.”

That evolution brought a 17-year-old Thomas to a pivotal audition with Leslie Noel Hansen, founding artistic director of the Peter Pan Foundation, a not-for-profit philanthropic organization that focuses on community service and the arts. That led to a role in Peter Pan’s production of the musical “Hairspray,” where Thomas played slick-dancing and suave belter Seaweed J. Stubbs.

That production in 2012 was the start of a lifelong friendship with Hansen, whom Thomas, now 27, calls her “theater mom.”

Hansen, who affectionately refers to Thomas as “Boom,” has been a part of Thomas’ every triumph and heartbreak, even taking her into her home to live for a stretch of time. There is a profound depth to Hansen’s description of the person continually evolving into the scintillating woman Thomas has become.

“I’ve had this really untouchable honor of watching Boom in countless incredible roles where she elevates any character she plays to the next level,” said Hansen, her voice often trailing off with emotion when she recalls her personal and professional history with Thomas. “The character development of her, just as a human being, has been such an inspiring journey.”

While Thomas used her teen years for continued self-discovery and examination, transitioning to a life as a female artist comes with some specific calculations. Hormones bring change to every aspect of a performer, which includes learning to harness a voice that may be going through a new set of peaks and valleys.

There’s a lot of nuance to working with a shifting vocal instrument, be it the physical dynamics at play or a new level of consciousness, according to “Red Shades” co-music director Sid Quinsaat, who has worked with many transgender performers as they hurtle toward a new permanent sound and identity. While Thomas is still learning to master the voice that will guide her career in the future, Quinsaat is mesmerized by the skills she has honed and sculpted over the years.

“She is such a pro and completely on her music all the time,” said Quinsaat, who is working with Thomas for the first time on “Red Shades.” “She is so prepared with everything — even knew all her music on the first day of rehearsal. We’ve made some adjustments for the sound to fit her voice better, but more for the things her character is going through at this time. She immediately takes those notes and makes those changes because she’s very, very musical and is able to do a lot with her voice.”

Thomas’ natural talents are now coupled with other traits that come with age and maturity.

“She’s become even more authentic,” Hansen said. “I think there’s more self-love. There is confidence and so much talent, and she is able to move people with the musical choices she makes. Those things are woven into the entire math of who she is.”

Self-love is now key to how Thomas operates. No longer satisfied with merely occupying a corner, she is embracing opportunities to take up space. Standing atop 6-inch heels represents an entire shift for Thomas, who formerly found more comfort hidden inside an oversized hoodie. Accepting her authentic self has opened up her world.

“I have never felt more comfortable and free to just walk and be happy,” Thomas said. “I’m able to laugh and not worry about if I’m being too soft or too loud because I’m just enjoying myself. It’s such a weight lifted off my shoulders.”

“The Red Shades: A Trans Superhero Rock Opera”: Written by Adrienne Price. Music by Adrienne Price, Matt Fukui Grandy and Jeanine Adkisson. Directed by Rotimi Agbabiaka and Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe. Opens Saturday, Oct. 22. Through Nov. 5. Free-$50. Steindler Stage, Z Space. 450 Florida St., S.F. 415-626-0453. www.zspace.org

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