When Crystal Cave Drag Show hostess Addy Rawls asked if anyone in the audience had ever seen a drag performance, a swath of hands went up. Audience members and drag performers filled Norris’ Louis Room for the Friday night show.
The free event was hosted by Northwestern Rainbow Alliance and the Society of Trans and Non-Binary Students, or STANS, and featured four Chicago-based performers: Addy Rawls, Mats, Ash Wednesday and Yur Unkle, as well as the DJ, JAXX.
Weinberg freshman Holly Simon was among the first-timer attendees.
“I’m really into queer activism, and drag has had such a special role in that forever,” Simon said. “I’ve always wanted to see a proper drag show, and I knew as soon as STANS and Rainbow [Alliance] put one together, I had to go.”
Addy Rawls served as the show’s hostess, introducing each performer and chatting with them after their number. The queen also closed both acts with a number of her own, making her way across the stage and through the crowd, tossing her cash tips into the air, and even pulling out a bubble gun at one point.
Insect-inspired queen Mats brought pop to the stage, lip-syncing to songs by Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan. Mats brought the audience to its feet when she leapt off the stage during “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” and landed in the splits.
Other performers like Ash Wednesday also delivered high-energy performances featuring kicks, spins, drops and a swinging ponytail.
The show’s only drag king, Yur Unkle, took a route not typically seen at drag shows with his country and rock performances. Yur Unkle said his hyper-masculine persona takes inspiration from Orville Peck, “Brokeback Mountain” and Lil Nas X.
“I was like, ‘My character is going to be your drunk, redneck uncle who you can’t stand and is just insufferable,’” Yur Unkle said. “I thought that was funny because drag is never like that.”
Weinberg senior and STANS member Misty Roe said she personally knew most of the performers and co-produced the show.
Roe said she believes the annual show is an accessible way for students to engage with an important part of queer culture.
“Being a trans person, exploration of gender identity through performance is something I really care about, and I feel like drag is just the pinnacle of that,” Roe said.
Simon echoed Roe’s sentiment, saying they enjoy how drag plays with gender identity and expression as a way to relate the artform to drag performers’ own experiences.
For spectators like Simon, supporting drag performers is a beacon of hope during a time in which many queer people are worried that those in power may try to silence or “erase” them.
“This kind of grassroots — just getting together and showing our love for our community and ourselves — is the most powerful thing I’ve ever felt,” Simon said.
Components of the show functioned as an introduction to drag show etiquette for attendees. Members of STANS and Rainbow Alliance repeatedly reminded audience members to support the performers by tipping them or following them on social media, and Addy Rawls encouraged the audience to support the host organizations.
Both Simon and Yur Unkle said they encourage members of the Northwestern community to engage with local drag.
“You’re so close to the city, and there’s tons of under-21 places,” Yur Unkle said. “Get out and see drag, or try it.”
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