Abraca-DRAG-bra

By: Kaeson Warnes and Abbey Raynes

Western Washington University held their 32nd annual drag show on April 20, 2024. With the theme “Smoke and Mirrors”, drag artists came together to carry the true joy and magic that drag brings to performers and observers alike. During this experience, Abbey and I had the wonderful opportunity to engage with performers as they got ready for the show. Backstage, performers expressed that a sense of freedom, expression of gender and self, and feelings of connection drew them to drag. Underlying these statements was a sentiment of community and belonging. With the ongoing attacks against the LGBTQ+ community–in particular black transgender women–it is ever important to recognize the avenues of connection and triumph that drag brings to WWU students and the broader Bellingham community.

Just before the show began, we moved from backstage and positioned ourselves in the crowd. The lights dimmed, and a buzz of excitement rose through the crowd. The show began with a statement on connection: everyone was there to share in this experience together as one. We looked to our right, then to our left, and saw the smiles and glint of thrill on our neighbor’s faces. And with that, the show kicked off with an upbeat number by drag performer Silver Screen. The rest of the night was filled with moments of awe, laughter, and inspiration as each performer exploded onto stage with zeal and spirit.

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Interview with Sol Vandeman

We had the chance to interview Sol Vandeman, who was one of the program coordinator’s of this year’s drag show. Being a five year drag show performer who began in their hometown Spokane, WA, with two years of experience in Bellingham, has been a part of WWU’s drag show since 2022. 

Sol created this year’s theme, ‘Smoke and Mirrors: The Magic of Drag’, which they said was inspired by watching Canada’s Drag Race Season 4. 

“Brooklyn Heights, the host says something along the lines of ‘the world now more than ever needs the magic of drag’, and I remember hearing that at the end of each episode and thinking ‘Oh my God, that is so true’. Drag is magic, it’s magical and with the annual show it is a big opportunity to show people why drag is magical…The term smoke and mirrors is a theater term, it’s a form of illusion.” And drag is an illusion.” 

Asking the same questions we discussed with other performers, Sol provided some insight of their experience with the show as a coordinator, as well as their perspectives on drag as a whole entity. 

What does drag mean to you? 

“It is an art form. It is a way of expressing myself. Drag is a way to tap into a higher power of myself and tell stories, [and] inspire people. It’s also a way for me to express different emotions or different things I’m going through. It’s like therapy in a way for me.” 

What makes your drag magical? 

“I completely transform, visually, into a different person. I think that is magical. I do my own makeup, I put on the wig, I put on the costume. I think that is magical.”

“I try to inspire people to celebrate femininity, to tap into a higher power version of themselves and stand in their truth, stand in their confidence, and just be their own beautiful self… I try to inspire people and put a smile on people’s faces and encourage them to not settle.” 

How has your drag evolved over time as you continue to be a part of this community?

“[I] Feel so much more connected to a community. I feel really happy to have a community of other drag artists, of other trans people, and other queer people in general. My drag has gotten a lot better because I am in such a supportive community, where if I need to ask for help with something, I can ask for help.” 

“If I need help styling a wig or getting together an outfit or if I need makeup tips, I have a community for that and I can ask for help and I think that has really evolved my drag.” 

“I take it seriously enough but it’s also a matter of remembering to have fun with it while also having a level of seriousness and care and how I carry myself.” 

“Figuratively and literally, I feel like I can let my hair down here…I can let my guard down.”

What was the best aspect of the show for you?

“The best part of the show was my number. I was really stressed out before my number and I had this intricate mix. I had three of my very close drag friends help me with my number– I had a lot of moving parts. I had a reveal, I had a lot of intricate costume pieces, I had a lot of details and alot of small things I was trying to balance.” 

“I remember when I stepped onto stage, it just completely shifted. I went from going completely nervous to all of a sudden, I was in my goddess mindset… I was in my ‘Oh my God, I’m here and I am performing and I am the G-O-D-D-E-S-S, the goddess of the night,’ I really just got into character and slayed.” 

“The storytelling that I did, I was really vulnerable with my storytelling, and I am really proud of myself for that because I think my vulnerability with my performance can really inspire other people, so I’m really proud of how everything came together.” 

“From our knowledge the Western Washington University annual drag show is the longest runnest drag show in WA state, and I think being a part of that legacy is really powerful and I am honored by the fact that I’ve been able to be a part of this show for three years in a row, and plan the show for two years.” 

“I love the after show. It’s when the show has ended and we took our cast photo, and we do have a meet n greet and I love that moment. I love connecting with audience members and to be honest, I love it when they say ‘can I take a photo with you,’ and I’m like yes!” 

“It’s also a really big show. We had 200ish people in the audience and that’s a really big crowd and I love connecting with people in that moment.” 

Why did you want to coordinate the show?

“Being a part of the show for the first time, I remember seeing how big the show was. People from Seattle, people all the way from Olympia, all across the state and I really wanted to be a part of that legacy.” 

“[My purpose] Was to share my artistry and knowledge with my peers, and other students essentially, I really wanted to share that with my community and I’ve been doing that the past three years.” 

“Planning the show in general is a lot of work… It’s really stressful.. But in the end it is worth it. All of the work, all of the stress, all of the tears is worth it in the end because we’ve been able to inspire so many people. We would be able to give an opportunity to experience the magic of drag and planning the show is hard but it’s worth it in the end to share the magic of drag in the community. And also this show has no age restrictions so people who are either under 21 or 18-20 and can’t go to bars yet, so unless you’re over 21 there aren’t a lot of opportunities to experience drag. So being able to make drag accessible for people under 21, that is really important and so I really wanted to be a part of that.” 

The annual show every year, the annual show is phenomenal and I really wanted to help keep the show as phenomenal as it has been for the past 32 years.” 

“As a team [JoeHahn, Mars Sweeney, Pao Falcon, Ayanna Phillips, Sol Vandeman], we all love drag, and we wanted to make this show continue to be as successful as it has been for the past thirty two years. We really believe in it, we want to support it.”