By: Rachael Jackson Campus Life Editor
Triangle Alliance celebrated the 20th annual drag show with “Pirates of the Queeribbean,” an exploration of pirates dealing with issues like gender identity and polyamory, entirely set to high energy songs, endless jokes, and flashy dance moves.
If you have any friends that performed in the drag show this year, it is not likely you saw much of them the past few months. I have often found myself bemoaning the show for taking away the precious free time of one particular friend.
After seeing the show, however, it feels petty to dwell on the time lost with friends because what I gained from it was infinitely better; I was given a chance to see the product of months of practice from close friends, classmates, and coworkers. And it was amazing.
One performer, hailing from Oregon State University, said that getting the chance to do drag with a large group of people changes the experience of drag show. With the large group, you get to know each other more intimately and count on one another for the success of the show.
Joleen Braasch, senior literature major, who portrayed lead character Jacklynn Knoff, explained that her favorite song to perform was “Cannibal” by Ke$ha, saying, “It is really fun to just let go and become this amazing strong woman who is just like … don’t mess with me!”
Many audience members were fond of Braasch’s animalistic dance moves during “Cannibal.” Another crowd favorite was a mermaid scene set to one of Ellie Goulding’s darker songs.
After the show, the reception hall was buzzing with congratulations and compliments. I asked one student, Shelby Worthing, junior economics and business double major, what she liked most about the show. Beyond just being amongst friends and like-minded individuals, she felt the atmosphere it created to be the most salient part of the experience.
“I think a lot of students come here to have that inclusive atmosphere. It shows what Western students are because we welcome students from other universities as well,” Worthing said.
Jade Rayner, an undeclared sophomore, knew she was going to try out for the show after last year’s show.
“I saw it last year and it was amazing, so that made me want to audition for it,” Rayner said. “It was a lot of fun, but it was a lot of hard work.”
Contact the author at rjackson13@wou.edu or on Twitter @rachaelyjackson
