“Are you ready to celebrate?” UWM Student Association President Mike Sportiello asked the crowd at the Milwaukee Theatre, warming up for the annual UWM Drag Show.
The theater filled with cheers from the 2,000 people in attendance. It was time to start the show.
Twenty drag queens and kings, many UWM students and alumni, danced and lip-synced to songs from Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, Janet Jackson and others.
Throughout the night, attendees were encouraged to tip the performers. Those tips totaled more than $1,300, which will be donated to two local LGBT+ charities – Project Q and Pathfinders.
During the show, attendees were encouraged to tweet using the official hashtag, #UWMDragShow, which were displayed on the two screens on the sides of the stage. The hashtag quickly became the top trending item in Milwaukee that night.
Sponsored by the LGBT Resource Center on campus, UWM students and staff at the center are central to the planning process for the annual show. Students are involved in many aspects of the planning, from coordinating volunteers to booking performers.
This year’s student lead coordinator, Jack Feria, said it took over six months of work to put together the show.
“I met folks from all around the Midwest, some who had never seen a drag show and some who have been performing in drag for over 20 years, living their truth, coming together as a community and having fun on Saturday,” Feria said. “That’s what I wanted to see from day one and what I hope to see live on beyond the Drag Show.”
The UWM Drag Show has been a staple at UWM for over 15 years and is one of the largest campus events. The show has been billed as one of the largest drag performances in the Midwest. It’s also number 19 on the UWM Bucket List.
Prior to 2015, the show had been held on campus in the Student Union Ballroom. Overwhelming popularity prompted a move downtown to the more spacious Milwaukee Theatre.
The show attracts more than just UWM students. A roll call of cheering revealed attendees from UW-Oshkosh, UW-Parkside and UW-Whitewater, plus Marquette, Concordia and Cardinal Stritch universities, in addition to many UWM students.
For UWM senior Taylor Halvorsen, this was her third UWM Drag Show. She thinks every student should attend it at least once.
“It’s important to raise awareness for Project Q and Pathfinders,” Halvorsen said. “It’s great that there is such a fun way to do it. The music, costumes and energy are so different and worth the experience.”
Next year’s show date is already set: Feb. 24, 2018. For more information on the UWM Drag Show and the LGBT Resource Center, visit their website.
