On Saturday, March 22, Rainbow Alliance held its 21st Annual Drag Show. This year, student performers dominated the show, and plenty of preparation was put into setting up the scene for attendees to enjoy. Planning large events like these can be difficult, but with the right knowledge and some improvisation, anything is possible.
The Drag Show
For this year’s Drag Show, there were roughly nine performances from a variety of student performers, including members of Rainbow Alliance's executive team.
There was also a wide music variety at the show, ranging from Katy Perry and Kesha to Dove Cameron. The performers also wore a fun mix of drag and costumes to present their songs, and many went all out with exquisite outfits that were taken off or changed during the course of each performance.
The energy in the room was electrifying, and attendees were clapping and cheering on each performer as they stalked the rows of seats in search of donations that viewers handed out during the course of each song.
All donations gathered at the event will be added to the LGBTQA Center’s scholarship; according to Treasurer Rae Carson, the event raised over $600.
“Huge thank you to everyone who came out [to the event] whether it be to help or support! We raised $630 total for LGBTQA scholarships,” Carson said.
For this event, Carson performed under the name Majora Masc., mainly due to its relation to the Legend of Zelda, but there have been other connections found that he also enjoys.
“Some people thought it [meant] ‘Masculine Vagina’ because of the labia majora, so that was also a nice twist on it,” Carson said.
As an androgynous performer, connections like these add an interesting spin to his performances; as a member of Rainbow Alliance's executive team, he worked hard to ensure others would be able to perform like he did, and seeing everyone come together was a major source of joy.
“Seeing everyone’s performances and all the work we put in finally [making] the show was amazing. Getting to do the dances we’d worked so hard on together was [also] amazing,” Carson said.
What planning went into it?
Rainbow Alliance hosts the Drag Show as one of its two major yearly events, with the other event being the Queer Prom. Planning for the event begins the semester before; during the fall, monetary allocations must be made to decide what supplies can be purchased and how many performers can be hired at certain rates.
Student Involvement and Leadership encourages students to reach out to them if you have any confusion on how to allocate money, pay performers and more.
“Responsible finance and accounting are key to the success of any club or organization. Student Involvement and Leadership provides clubs and organizations with the services necessary to manage their finances effectively. Our staff is here to help with deposits, revenue planning, expense management, travel, funding options, and more,” SIL’s page reads.
A unique aspect of this year’s show is that there were no professional performers in attendance, which varied from years prior. Last year saw performers from the Dayton and Cincinnati area, including Dayton-raised Johnny Justice.
However, plenty of students signed up to participate in the event, meaning Rainbow Alliance could go ahead with preparations.
After the planning was sorted and the day of the event arrived, the Rainbow Alliance's executive team as well as some volunteers from the club, worked to set up the event. This included preparing the stage by decorating it with pride flags, adding privacy barriers for performers entering and exiting the stage and some behind-the-scenes preparation.
“... the stage and seating was already set up for us. So that was nice. To hang up the flags and set up the dressing room, it took about two hours. Clean-up also took about two hours, but that’s because we had to make sure everyone’s belongings got back to them, and the room was completely reset,” Carson explained.
Preparations were complete well before the event started, and students were able to filter through into the Apollo room with minimal issues.
How to plan large-scale events
There are plenty of details to keep in mind when planning a large-scale event, and websites like A2Z Events encourage planners to develop a set list of first steps, including asking yourself questions like “What is the specific objective of this event?,” “What are the long-term and short-term goals of this event?,” “What is the projected scale of this event?” and “What type of event is it, exactly?”
After this, it is important to choose who you want to help plan your event. For on-campus organizations, this will usually be the E-team of your club, and potentially your faculty advisor and other faculty from offices like Student Involvement and Leadership.
Of course, even with external help, planning an event can be stressful, but managing stress is always an important aspect.
“[Planning] can be very stressful. There’s a lot of things to coordinate, [and] you’re working with so many people and trying to keep them all on the same page,” Carson shared. “The biggest way I relieved stress was just remembering that it’ll work out, and remembering to take time to do things I enjoy that had nothing to do with the show.
While working to get everyone on the same page, there is also the aspect of money to keep in mind.
“Creating a defined budget for large scale event planning is challenging for any organization simply because of the complexity that is a part of the process and the fast-changing pace,” A2Z Events suggests.
There is more advice provided by the A2Z team in their article “Your Comprehensive Guide to Large Scale Event Planning Success,” and resources can be found by contacting Student Involvement and Leadership.
Ultimately, large-scale event planning requires lots of planning ahead, communication and advertising, among other things. Be sure to utilize resources available to you, and try not to become overwhelmed with your work!
