Before the smoke machine started, the pink lights beamed and attendees packed into the senior ballroom, the work from Student Entertainment Board coordinators and TabiKat Productions had already been months in the making.
With patrons lining up an hour before the performance, the demand for drag performances in the Palouse is clear, and attendees were eager to get a front-row seat.
“The farmers aren’t the only ones with a secret,” said Aquasha DeLusty, one of the night’s MCs.
DeLusty was referencing drag performances popularity in rural areas, despite lingering conservative attitudes.
The energy carried straight into the show. The night featured local and regional drag queens and kings, including Aquasha DeLusty, Ceasar Hart, Freedom Rights, Jazmyn J and Roderick Von Schlong.
Behind the scenes, tip buckets were set up in the dressing room for each performer. Throughout the show, “tip fairies” moved through the crowd collecting cash from the attendees to deliver to the queens and kings, a staple of drag culture that kept the audience involved throughout the entire show.
Tip fairies Xavier Beazer in blue, Talia Rhodes in pink and Abdiana Avalar in green pose for a photo, March 27.
Just as attendees came prepared with tips, performers brought a range of style, energy and stage presence. Jazmyn J graced the stage in multiple looks, including a butterfly-adorned tutu and later a fur coat with a Marliyn Monroe-esque wig, moving seamlessly between each number.
Freedom Rights delivered one of the night’s most physically demanding performances, executing cartwheels and acrobatics before pulling off her wig and pouring water over herself mid-routine.
Drag king Roderick Von Schlong delivered multiple standout performances throughout the night, even executing a dramatic back bend and later sporting a bright green mohawk. He earned one of the loudest reactions of the night when he snatched cash out of an audience member’s mouth.
King Ceasar Hart, a WSU alum, traveled from the Seattle area to return to campus and perform, something he did as a student.
“I was a global student and I got the opportunity to come while I was still going to school and perform for you then,” Hart said. “I graduated in 2020 in the pandemic and I didn’t get to have a graduation. But that doesn’t change that I’m a Coug.”
Ceasar Hart performs at SEB’s drag show, March 27.
For many in the audience, the show was their first introduction to drag. Others, like tip fairy Xavier Beazer, had attended drag performances before and were excited to see the performers take the stage.
Beazer, a sophomore anthropology major who joined SEB this year, was excited to be involved in the event. Throughout the night, Beazer sported a blue wig and wings while gathering tips for the performers.
Attendees said the event stood out, not just with its performances, but also for the environment it created. Jillian Carter, a zoology major, returned for the second year in a row after her experience and the memories she made at SEB’s previous drag show.
“It’s more accepting than going out,” Carter said. “You feel more safe at an event like this on campus. I went last year and the main thing I took from it is that this whole place felt safe.”
That sense of safety and acceptance is part of what continues to draw students and community members in each spring. Attendees like Carter said they would like to see more drag performances hosted on campus throughout the year.
Organizers recognize that demand. SEB’s Executive Director Katrina O’Dell said while students and the community want more drag performances, funding and logistical constraints remain the biggest obstacle in hosting drag shows more frequently. Despite those constraints, the turnout and energy in the room made the demand clear.
The performers concluded the night with a group dance to Chappell Roan, followed by photos with attendees, where the line stretched along the senior ballroom wall.
As the community filtered out of the second floor of the CUB, the energy lingered, reflecting both the demand for drag on campus and the community it continues to create, even in a rural area like the Palouse.
Laughter and chatter echoed throughout the building, with attendees hanging out past 10 p.m., concluding a rare night spent on campus purely for fun.
