On Thursday, Feb. 13, the University of Massachusetts Amherst student-run radio station (WMUA) held their annual drag show performance in the Black Box Theater. The performances were hosted by Magnolia Masquerade, a UMass graduate, for the third year in a row.

Around 120 people attended the drag show, making it one of the most popular events WUMA hosts, only behind Battle of the Bands.

Isabel Durning, General Manager at WMUA, said that the room is booked a year in advance, due to the busy Registered Student Organization (RSO) event schedule at the Student Union. Magnolia was invited at the beginning of the new school year, which gave her time to gather the other performers.

“We let the queens take charge of the event,” Durning said. “It’s really amazing and it’s a privilege that they want to perform for us and that they make this a radio themed drag show. At the end of the day, they really curate the space and make everyone feel comfortable.”

Magnolia opened the show for three other performers who all hosted their own radio shows: Adam Apparition hosted “The Night Shift,” A-Manual K**t hosted “C**t Talk” and Marina Garconne hosted “Marina.mp3.”

Before the show got started, Magnolia set some expectations with three ground rules. The first was to make noise and show enthusiasm. The second was to throw the performers money, either literally or by tipping through Venmo.

The third and most important, Magnolia said, was to be clear in expressing consent. The audience was told they should cross their arms over their chests if they were uncomfortable being involved. That way performers could “know to harass someone else with our songs,” Magnolia said.

The show began around 7:30 p.m. with Magnolia’s parody performance of Donna Summer’s “On The Radio,” sung with a puppet version of Kermit the Frog. The performance was simple but set the stage for the even more eccentric following acts.

Marina and Entity took the stage next and performed a choreographed dance to “Whiplash” by aespa. The crowd cheered as the two performers made their ways through the crowd, with stage lights flashing magenta and blue around the theater.

Her third year at the Black Box Theater, Marina enjoyed her experience every time and always strives for aesthetic perfection. “I make everything I wear. I want to impress people, appeal to their sense of sight. People in fashion, art and drag tend to like what I do.”

A-Manual performed next to the song “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” by Luke Combs. As A-Manual dressed like a cowboy wearing boots, jeans and plaid. Another person donned a tornado costume and was chased in between the crowd by A-Manual.

When A-Manual captured the tornado, the two got married in a Jewish wedding ceremony and then slow-danced to “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone. The whirlwind of emotions and drama sent the crowd erupting in laughter.

As the song came to an end, so did the relationship between the tornado and A-Manual. “When it Rains it Pours” by Luke Combs blasted over the speakers sending the crowd into a flurry of laughter and cheers. As he walked through the crowd, people began throwing cash his way, quite literally making it rain.

Adam Apparition was the last performance during the first act of the evening, performing “I/Me/Myself” by Will Wood. While the act itself wasn’t as flashy or rambunctious as the other hosts, Apparition enjoyed a slower performance, walking through the crowd and focusing on facial and hand expressions.

After a short break, Apparition performed “Under My Skin” by Jukebox the Ghost People. The song and performance had a feel of horror and a 1950s’ aesthetic.

A-Manual came back out to “Reflection,” a song from the animated film Mulan, dressed as Fiona. Dancing through the crowd as people sang along, the atmosphere completely changed almost immediately. People knew the songs and sang along, some even dancing with A-Manual.

As the end of the song came around, A-Manual staged the front of the room as if to be in a therapy session, discussing how they don’t feel that they are in the right body. The discussion transitions into the song, “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from the Mulan soundtrack. As the song progressed, A-Manual changed from a dress and wig to regular cowboy boots and a suit.

As soon as A-Manual finished changing, the song transitioned to “You’re Welcome” from the Moana soundtrack. The crowd went wild with laughter, and just when the song was expected to slow down, A-Manual revealed his undershirt, which had red lines under where a woman’s breasts would be.

As he did, he pulled out and waved a trans flag while singing, “And the tapestry here on my skin/Is a map of the victories I win/Look where I’ve been/I make everything happen,” sending the crowd into a chaotic frenzy of support.

In an interview, A-Manual said they think queer culture is valuable: “I think that it’s really important … showing queer joy, showing that you can be queer, [that] you can be trans and still sort of be happy … and have [a] community.”

“In this climate that we exist in where it’s very, like, under attack,” they said, “being happy is sort of resistance in itself.”

Lucas Wohler, a programmer at WMUA, supported the themes of the evening. “I think this station is built on the backs of queer people. We have so many people currently in our community and from all of our years previous, and so we kind of just owe it to them to keep this up and create a space … They deserve to use [WMUA] as a platform to share their art.”

“There’s going to be a lot less platforms for people to put on drag shows and there’s [going to] be less money for people to do drag, especially in educational places, especially at UMass,” Durning said. “So, we want to be able to do it for as long as we can, give them the money and the support and a platform to get their names out there and to show people how great drag shows can be.”

Marina was introduced as the final radio show before Magnolia Masquerade’s performance, and she did not disappoint. As soon as “Without Me” by Eminem echoed over the speakers, the crowd became electric with energy and support. Her upbeat, hip-hop choreography included plenty of crowd interactions, creating a fun and exciting atmosphere for onlookers.

As Mariana exited out of the spotlight at the end of her piece, A-Manual began walking down one of the aisles, throwing rose petals with Magnolia walking behind him in a dramatic wedding gown with “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga blasting over the speakers.

With mascara running down her cheeks and using money as tissues, Magnolia acted as the overly obsessed bride with her lover. Whether it was standing on chairs, dancing with audience members or crawling on the floor, audience engagement was a top priority.

At the end of the song, Magnolia tore off the boutonnière she had on and revealed a large bleeding gap where her heart should have been as the audio from Lady Gaga’s 2009 performance at the VMAs broke through the typical paparazzi song. The drama, facial expressions and on point outfit created a roar of cheers.

Magnolia ended her performance by describing how her character’s husband didn’t show up to the altar on their wedding day, so her character chose violence and death over living with a broken heart, the perfect story a day before Valentine’s Day.

“It’s very important just for people to recognize queer art as something very substantial,” said Andrew Curran, who performs as Magnolia Masquerade. “Something very important and something that we genuinely cannot live without in the world because so much of our art is queer art … When it’s in your face queer art like drag, it’s that much more impactful.”

As the performers went to take their final bows, A-Manual smiled and said into their microphone, “Stay classy, Amherst.”

Kalina Kornacki can be reached at [email protected] or followed on X (formerly Twitter) @KalinaKornacki.

Andrew Venditti can be reached at [email protected].