On Friday Sept. 16, for the very first time in history, EMU hosted a Drag Show on campus. This event, hosted by the Campus Activities Council (CAC) and featuring Harrisonburg’s own Rhinestone Productions, took place in UC 177, or what most students know as the old Common Grounds space. Cheesecake and light refreshments were provided before the start of the show and during a brief intermission.

The show featured performances by Drag Queens Angelle Zhané, Genesis Knight, London Lestrange and the CEO of Rhinestone Productions, Jayda Knight. Rhinestone Productions is a local entertainment production company specializing in Drag and other LGBTQ+ events. There was a high turnout for the event, with students, faculty and staff, and community members filling up seats. 

The performances mainly consisted of lip syncing and dancing to popular songs while the audience cheered on the performers. The queens wore colorful outfits, mainly consisting of dresses and jumpsuits with high heels, matched with voluminous wigs. Humor, charm and elegance composed the captivating performances. In addition to the singing and dancing, Jayda Knight took some time during her performance to speak to the audience about the importance of creating an inclusive environment where everyone can feel like they can be themselves.

Senior Nardos Haile, who was among the audience, expressed how much it meant to her to be at an event that celebrated inclusivity. “This is one of the best events I’ve attended here in all of my four years of being a student. It’s really cool getting to witness history being made at EMU,” she shared.

The performances also consisted of a lot of audience participation, with the queens talking directly to the audience throughout the show and even inviting students up to the stage to sing and dance along with them. Several students from the audience were called up to the stage, asked to introduce themselves and encouraged to sing and dance with the queens. The night ended with the queens posing for photos with students who wanted to get a picture.

Senior Arianna Nixon was one of seven students who was brought up on stage by the queens. “I had never been to a drag show before this nor had I ever met someone who does drag, so to be able to sing and dance with them was amazing,” she shared. 

Throughout the show, the queens from Rhinestone Productions mentioned that they would like to come back to EMU for another drag show and the audience consistently responded with cheers. Considering the turnout of the event as well as the energetic response during the show, bringing back Rhinestone Productions could possibly be something to consider for a future CAC event.