Imperial Princess Jackie Lawrence interacts with the crowd during her performance.--News Photo Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Whiskey District was packed for an evening of glamour Saturday night for an inaugural charity gala as put on with more 300 years of drag performance experience on stage.
The Night Under The Stars event, by the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Chinook Arch, aimed to raise funds for various charities, as decided by this year’s Empress, Nina Tron-Sanoir.
Organizer Lawrence Hasiuk said the event was a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on a community that does exist in the area, despite Medicine Hat’s more “closed” reputation.
“It just lets them see us in a different light, and brings awareness to the charities that we support,” said Hasiuk. “I always reference the Shriners; it really is a means to an end. Theirs is they wear clown shoes and big noses and drive cars, and through that they raise money for charity. Ours is the same thing, we just wear wigs and dresses. It’s the same thing at the end of the day.”
All proceeds from the auctions, as well as the more than $1,000 gathered by the 50/50 draw, will be contributed to charity.
The evening saw performances from several seasoned drag performers, including the current reigning Empress and Princess Jackie Lawrence. Attendees enjoyed a custom menu for the night, as well as a live and silent auction.
Lawrence said that while there had never been an event like this in Medicine Hat put on by the ISCCA, the level of enthusiasm and support shown by the audience was overwhelming and heartening to see. The sentiment was echoed by many of the performers throughout the evening.
“I absolutely love it here,” said Lawrence. “Drag is a way that we express ourselves, as gay, non-binary, trans people, it’s one of the ways that we express ourselves. We express ourselves to show off what we can do, so this kind of reception, we just love it.”
This gala was the culmination of three months of effort, said Hasiuk, which he felt was a marked success both in funds raised and in seeing that there’s a need for these kinds of performances and events here in his home city.
“It tells me that there’s a need for it, there’s a want for it and that there’s a community here that wants to feel seen,” said Hasiuk. “The businesses that have supported this, people will remember which ones stepped up, that agreed to host us, that donated for the silent auction.”
Lawrence added that events like this, especially all-ages shows, also help to show the public that drag performers aren’t scary.
“We’re just out there having fun and enjoying ourselves, just like everybody else,” said Lawrence.
It’s possible Medicine Hat may be seeing more of the Court and of drag performers in the future, said Hasiuk, following the success of the Night Under The Stars. He mentioned the possibility of pop-up shows, as well as the likelihood of the return of the gala.
It was announced toward the end of the performance that the ISCCA and Whiskey District are in discussions for a drag brunch this December.
