Singing, dancing and dollar bills galore could only mean one thing: an Ohio University drag show. OU’s University Program Council, better known as UPC, put on their semi-annual drag show for students this past Friday.
The headliner, Nina West, appeared on the eleventh season of "Ru Paul’s Drag Race" and is known for her comedy and her title of Miss Congeniality. West also originated from the Columbus area and preached about the drag talent that lives there. In addition to West, queens Gretta Goodbottom, Maya Bizness, Kazma Knights and Evelyn Everything, and drag king Shawty West, were featured.
Tay Carthon, a freshman studying film, said this was their first drag show and had been anticipating the show all day.
“I had a class that ended around 3 (p.m.),” they said. “So as soon as I got back from the class, I just changed into a completely different outfit (and) put on some makeup.”
Carthon prepared for the show and was told to get in line as soon as possible, as the drag show has been a popular Welcome Week event for a while now. Previous features from "Ru Paul’s Drag Race" included queens Silky Nutmeg Ganache and Coco Montrese.
“I was told to get here an hour before because it was going to fill up fast,” they said. “So we got here at six, and the line was already through the doors.”
The line for the highly anticipated show wrapped around the fourth floor of Baker Center, and ended out the door and nearly onto the street when they began to let students inside Baker Theater. Nearly 800 students showed up for the event, according to West’s Instagram.
With drag shows being so popular, many students believe the university should hold the events more often.
“I feel like if they did more drag shows it would make the students here feel more accepted and proud to be themselves,” Carthon said.
Alyssa Mchugh, a junior studying geology, and Julia Cooper, a sophomore studying psychology, attended the show together.
Mchugh attended the previous drag shows put on by UPC and was thoroughly impressed with each one.
Cooper believes it is not just the performers that make a great drag show, but the crowd as well.
“They need to be loud,” she said. “They need to be paying attention, they need to be having their dollar bills and just having fun.”
Ava Poling, a sophomore studying political science and philosophy, has had plenty of previous drag show experience and was ready to bring the energy.
“Literally the minute I saw OU posted this, I was so excited,” said Poling. “Me and all my friends have been counting down the days.”
Poling said she had been “mentally preparing” for the show for weeks.
The two-and-a-half-hour-long show included many fun interactions with the crowd, dancing, comedy and even a piano medley of Taylor Swift songs. Evelyn Everything opened up the show and was followed up by West herself, who continued to introduce many of the local queens. The students in the crowd cheered for every stunt and some were even a part of the show.
Another success in OU drag show “her-story” and students are leaving wanting more and anticipating the next.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Mchugh. “Everybody’s in it to have fun and also the people that perform, they just have a great bunch every time and I’ve never been disappointed.”
