(Photo courtesy of uml.edu) A group of drag queens at a former annual drag show.
Jenkins Zziwa
Connector Contributor
On Thursday Oct. 30 starting at 7pm, the UMass Lowell OMA LGBTQ Resources Center
will be hosting its annual drag show at University crossing on the 2nd floor in room 260–the Jacquelin and Edward Moloney Hall Ballroom. Admission is free for all and if students are a member of the LGBTQ+ OMA cohort, they’ll be able to receive priority seating. Students with extra time are encouraged to check it out.
With spooky season well underway and Halloween right around the corner, the UMass Lowell campus has come alive with decor, midterms, but also spooktacular events taking place all over campus. One particular event of highlight is
the annual drag show hosted by a student drag performer which is sure to elate and entertain the audience with not one, not two, but four renown professional drag performers set to take center stage on the night. For those unfamiliar, taking to the runway will be Thee Enigma Punk, Gnat, Shakaren, and Gigi Glam, all returning performers on UMass Lowell shores bar Gnat, the drag king who is described as rather comedic in their performances, they of whom will be a new star this year to the UMass Lowell stage.
The drag show has been planned and worked on for weeks in advance with a concerted effort at hand from the hosts, one of the OMA peer leaders and co-hosts of the show for the third year running–Phoenix Lewis, had this to say, “ I’ve been working with the queens for a little over a month…getting their sounds, their bio information, and everything ready.” Something to look forward to by general conscientious will be the outfits, the music (of which students can dance and sing along to), air guitar (which may not be guranteed), and the After Glo event at LGBTQ Resources Center in room 380. Also noteworthy is the arts and crafts club, here at UMass Lowell, is
penciled in as a contributor to the show as they’ll be assisting with decorations for the show.
As the show is taking place on hallow’s eve, appropriately, it’ll be themed with a spooky and haunting scene that’s sure to give host to a ghastly show, and it’s important to note that costumes are encouraged! For those new to drag, this is an event to go to and have fun, it’s a performance arts medium that’s epitomized by self expression and an opportunity to bring people together in a venture into queer expression and pantomime fun. But at its core, this show serves as a platform and an avenue for the queer students from all walks and orientations to have a space on campus, similarly to the LGBTQ+ Resources Center that can truly unabashedly and welcomingly be queer. One of the hosts, Logan Biedermann, had this to say about the upcoming show, “It’s an event that’s meant to bring people together–inform them that there is queer spaces on campus for them…that UMASS Lowell is a home for LGBTQ people.” Furthermore, “I think Halloween is [a] really notoriously queer holiday in some scenes…and on halloween night we get to be authentic.”
