It’s rare to find a Case Western Reserve University on-campus event that pulls you in every year, save Springfest and perhaps Thwing Study Over, if you can brave waiting in line for that long. However, oSTEM’s annual Halloween-themed drag show is one such event, at least for me. The performances, all of which come from locally based drag queens, are phenomenal, and the energy in Tinkham Veale University Center ballroom is always spirited, friendly and welcoming of diversity in all its forms.
oSTEM, which stands for Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, is an organization dedicated to empowering LGBTQIA+ people in STEM fields. Its HalloQueen Drag Show is a yearly event—except for 2022, in which they threw a winter holiday-themed show instead—that began in my first year of college, 2021. I’m not sure that the energy or turnout of their first drag show has ever quite been replicated, but the event remains a CWRU Halloween staple. It’s also many students’ first introduction to drag. A show of hands at the beginning of the night revealed that it was about half of the attendees’ first-ever drag show, so I have to applaud oSTEM for bringing this experience to so many students, particularly first-years.
This year’s performers were Natasshja Norielle, JolieeBlak, Sarahtonin, Lady Inferno and The Art of Omega, all of whom have performed previously at CWRU. Each queen performed two lip sync numbers, one before and after intermission, and Natasshja Norielle and The Art of Omega took turns MC-ing. There wasn’t a bad performer in the bunch—each queen was a fantastic dancer, full of confidence and moved around the room to interact with the audience fully. However, I do think The Art of Omega and Lady Inferno were the night’s standouts.
The former was voted Cleveland’s best drag queen, and brought humor as well as looks to the stage. The Art of Omega’s first number was Pokemon-themed; she dressed up in a pink vinyl nurse’s outfit and lip-synced to Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” with “woman” bleeped out and replaced with “Nurse Joy.” For her second number, she wore leggings and a sports bra and interspersed poses on a genuine Nintendo Wii Balance Board with dance segments to Ariana Grande’s “positions.” I love it when queens get creative and aren’t afraid to take risks to make their audience laugh, and The Art of Omega did exactly that. On the other hand, I liked Lady Inferno because she seemed to be the best dancer of the bunch, landing her splits and cartwheels gracefully. While I didn’t fully understand her first number’s ode to the show “Bad Girls Club,” I always appreciate a niche pop culture reference. As an honorable mention, Sarahtonin danced to the Monster High Theme Song, which I loved as well.
oSTEM’s executive board also seemed pleased with how the night turned out, especially considering the amount of work it takes to organize the event. President and fourth-year student Alexandra Pérez-Robles said, “My favorite part of the Drag Show is seeing the performances and getting to know the Cleveland drag scene. We try to work with different queens and kings each year so we’ve been able to build a pretty extensive network. The Drag Show is the largest event oSTEM puts on and there are a lot of responsibilities, so it’s hard to juggle finances, catering, promo, etc., even working together as an exec. There are a lot of moving parts behind the scenes and months of planning, [so] we have to ensure they all work together on D-day.” Of the event’s reception by students, she said, “We’ve gotten great feedback; students loved the vibe we created and the queens’ performances. We also held a costume contest this year, and so many people dressed up and participated! I think, as the only LGBTQ+ club on campus, we provide a space for connection and visibility.”
If you want to get involved with oSTEM, you can join their CampusGroups to receive their newsletter and follow them on Instagram (@ostematcwru). There’s currently a form linked in their bio accepting applications for their mentorship program. Their next event is Finals Care Packages, which will be held on Dec. 9 from 3-4 p.m. in Thwing Student Center 101. Finally, if you’re interested in being part of the planning process for the drag show, they recruit a decorations committee from their general body, so you can be on the lookout for that next year. Until then, however, hopefully the memories of their last show is enough to tide everyone over until Halloween 2025.