Drag Show in Cincinnati | Photo by Aaron Cline | The Wright State Guardian
The nearby University of Cincinnati held its annual drag show, leading those attending Wright State University to consider their own upcoming show in March.
Event
Before making their way to the showroom, guests were offered various pride-themed stickers and pins from UC students. The colorful palette of pride was displayed across the stage as well, with multicolored lights, rainbow ribbons and colorful slides posted on the screen.
Drag queen P.H. Dee hosted the show, energetically explaining the schedule of the night’s drag show and introducing the others who would be performing alongside her.
Most performers of the night had two or three sets lined up, with special guests featuring UC students, as well as a short Q&A session.
Thea Williams, a Computer Science major from WSU who attended the event, expressed their love for the show.
“It was very slay,” Williams said, explaining that people should make an effort to attend queer events, such as drag shows.
The performers in all their glory
The first to the stage was drag queen Stixen Stones, who has been performing for 12 years and has won various awards for her performances.
Stixen Stones was followed by Dayton-raised drag king Johnny Justice. He has been in the field for over nine years and currently does drag throughout Cincinnati, though it was revealed during the Q&A that he discovered his passion for drag at WSU.
The third act was performed by the host, P.H. Dee. Despite having the shortest career of the professionals on stage that night, she was on the same impressive level of performance.
The crowd was left roaring with excitement after every set thanks to the fun performances and mix of well-known and loved music each performer chose.
The final queen, who battled through traffic to make it up to Cincinnati, was Uhstel H. Valentine. With a background in multiple body-demanding performance sports, she left the crowd stunned with her moves and fantastic performances.
First-time drag stars
University of Cincinnati student Zo, a fourth-year Biology major with a minor in Psychology, was one of three students who volunteered to participate in a competition held as an intermission to the usual performer’s acts. The intermission consisted of three first-time drag performers who acted for a chance to win tickets to a Noah Reid concert as well as bragging rights.
Zo was the last star to go on the stage under the stage name “Joe Spooky,” which is based on an inside joke from the podcast “The Magnus Archives.”
Joe Spooky’s performance began with a short audio clip showcasing the inside joke, followed by the song “Main Character” by Will Wood. Despite being an un-stereotypical choice of music for a drag performance, the crowd enthusiastically supported him once they heard the popular artist fade in.
Within roughly three minutes, Joe Spooky managed to wow the crowd with his confidence and dancing skills as he weaved through the audience during his set.
After the performance, Zo stressed how fun the experience was and how others should do it as well.
“I have zero dance experience, have never been solo on a stage and don’t usually wear makeup, and I won a drag competition with sheer audacity. It was great. If you’re unsure, do it,” Zo said.
The other first-time performers, who went by the drag names Helios-99 and Ed Queeran, are fellow STEM majors who also performed spectacularly. The confidence to perform in front of hundreds was awe-inspiring from all three of them.
WSU’s own drag show
WSU’s Rainbow Alliance is holding a drag show as well. Ash Sword, vice president of Rainbow Alliance, wishes to keep students informed on the updates leading up to the event.
The most important update is that the official date was recently moved to March 30. Beyond this, students can register to perform at the upcoming drag show. While the performers are not finalized, students can expect to see a wide variety of amazing shows at WSU’s drag night.
