Last Friday Nov. 20, Pride held its third annual drag show to raise money for the LGBTQ scholarship. After several performances by students and professional drag queens, the performers raised nearly $650 in tips and donations.
As her introduction song, the legendary drag queen and one of the hosts of the night, Virginia West, performed Sara Bareilles’s “Brave.”
“I chose to do ‘Brave’ because it’s 2015, and we just now have marriage equality. But the fight is not over! We still need equal rights for our women, our refugees. Everybody needs to fight for what you believe in … Life is too short to care about what anybody else thinks about you. Be brave!”
Before the talent show, West gathered all the drag show virgins of the night to be ‘screwed.’ The virgins came from all different walks out life, from Capital students, to visitors, to a student studying to be a pastor at Trinity. After the audience yelled ‘screw you!’ at the virgins, the night could officially begin.
The talent show had a variety of acts, including rap, operetta, and several drag performances. Djhream Carter, first-year Capital student, opened the talent show by singing an operetta. After Carter, there was a string of drag queens and kings performing songs by ‘NYSNC, Tove Lo, Britney Spears, Celine Dion, and Nelly Furtado. To conclude the talent show, Wade Blair, junior, performed two original rap songs. Taking no time for breaks, the professional drag queens took the stage to entertain the crowd while the judges took time to decide on a winner.
“I’ve always had this itch to entertain. I had a theater major when I was in college so [drag] is sort of an extension of my theatrical, creative outlet. I love entertaining and I love touching people … Not physically, but emotionally,” said co-host Eris Grey.
The first drag queen of the night was Roxy Nikole, who performed Lady Gaga’s “Bad Kids.” Taking the stage after her was Grey who performed Gwen Stefani’s “What You Waiting For?'”Dolly Spreadaparton performed Kelis’s “My Milkshake” with milkshakes in hand to give out to a select few audience members. Finally, the last performance of the night was alumni and faculty member, Greta Goodbottom, who performed to a mash up of songs in a one-eyed mask. One eye turned to three when she took off her cape, to reveal a skintight jumpsuit with eyes over her boobs.
When asked why she performs, Nikole said, “The liberation and the community around it. Drag is a gateway for people to become who they want to be, or to be free to be themselves, [or] to be different. It’s always fun and you can always transform into something else.”
The queens performed a drag suicide, which was a time for each drag queen to come back on stage one by one and do an impromptu performance to a song of the DJ’s choice. Performing to songs by Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, Ke$ha, and other music legends, the queens got even wilder and crazier. After the drag suicide, it was time to announce the winners.
Coming in third place and winning a $25 visa gift card was Pride philanthropy chair, Angie Renner, senior, who performed male drag to ‘NYSNC’s hit, “It’s Gonna Be Me.” To imitate the classic Justin Timberlake 90s hairstyle, Renner dawned a skull cap with ramen noodles glued to it.
Pride’s large events chair, TJ Carpenter, junior, came in second place and won a $75 visa gift card. Dressed in a skin-tight purple metallic dress, Carpenter performed “Moments” by Tove Lo.
Taking home first place and the grand prize of a $100 VISA gift card was Mitch Courtney, junior. For his first time ever performing in female drag, Courtney performed Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.”
When asked why he chose this song, Courtney said, “I was either going to do something … upbeat, somewhere along the lines of Gwen Stefani, or a power ballad … I was flipping through my iPod and this song came on. I was like ‘this song is a classic, people will know it, and it’s something that I can belt.’ So I felt that that was a solid choice.”
Junior Kaylee Hurst who is no stranger to drag shows said this was some of the most fun she’s had at a drag show.
“I’ve been to a lot of drag shows … I think this is the best one Pride has put on because they involved more of the students”
