Fierce eyeliner and platform boots carved the stage floor; cheekbones were sculpted to perfection. Only their facial expressions and hair were louder than their presence and pops of color tied it all together. One word encompassed it all: pride.
Hofstra University’s The Lavender Grove – formerly known as the Pride Network – is an LGBTQ+ advocacy group on campus that has produced a spring drag show every year since 2008. With 18 years and counting, the most recent show took place on Wednesday, May 6.
Every year, different positions within the crew change. This spring Chelle Jung, a senior public relations and strategic communications double major, held one of the executive producer roles.
Her involvement in Drop of Drag was her first production venture. She described her time as executive producer as both a learning curve and one of the most meaningful experiences she has had at Hofstra.
In her role, Jung helped to oversee the entire production. Her responsibilities included leading creative direction, coordinating talent, securing funding and managing marketing and promotion. Most importantly, she said it was about keeping the team cohesive and making sure the show came together in a way that felt impactful.
Jung hopes the Hofstra community walked away not just entertained, but with a deeper appreciation for drag as both an art form and a symbol of resilience, confidence and expression.
She noted that Drop of Drag means a lot to her because a huge part of who she is comes from being inspired by drag queens and other queer artists.
“As someone who’s queer, putting on this event feels especially important right now, given the political climate and ongoing attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, especially against [transgender] people and drag,” Jung said.
Jung also pointed to the significance of drag’s historical context, noting it’s important to recognize where drag comes from.
“So much of [drag] is rooted in Black and Brown [transgender] women and ballroom culture,” Jung said. “From voguing to terms like ‘reading’ and ‘shade,’ those contributions not only shaped what drag is today, but pop culture on a broader scale.”
In a CBS News article, drag is defined as an art of dressing and acting as another gender. The entertainment aspect of drag comes from the performer’s comedy, singing, dancing and lip-syncing.
A recent example of this was a Make America Great Again (MAGA) parody drag show that took place in Bushwick, Brooklyn, last month serving as a fundraiser for the American Civil Liberties Union. It raised $25,000.
The charity featured drag personas of MAGA figures, such as Erika Kirk or, in this case, Erika Qwerk, and First Lady Melania Trump.
Going back to its roots, drag can be connected to the age of William Shakespeare. At that time, female roles were performed by men. Drag was also seen on the vaudeville circuit, an interconnected chain of theatres in North America, and during the Harlem Renaissance. In the 20th century, and even now, drag performances are integral to gay bars.
2012 Hofstra alumnus Christian Fuscarino founded the Pride Network in 2008, partnering with fellow student Jose Rivera to propel the beginnings of the annual drag show. At the time, Rivera was a freshman studying Spanish and Latin American and Caribbean studies.
“Drag show? University? Hofstra? What is this a gay club in NYC? Many students at Hofstra are asking themselves these questions. No, this is not an NYC gay club where the Drag Circuit is popular, this is Hofstra University where everyone is accepted just the way they are,” Rivera wrote in a blog for Hofstra Student Life on October 29, 2013.
In the blog, Rivera noted that he knew he had to be part of the Pride Network after being told about their yearly drag show. Rivera told Fuscarino he could pull off a drag show all on his own – primarily because of his connection to ballroom culture.
Ballroom culture is an LGBTQ+ subculture that emerged in New York City in the 1920s among the Black and Latinx community. The family aspect of this culture is deeply rooted, with the term “chosen family” at its core.
Under Rivera’s oversight, Carmen Carrera, who had just finished filming “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” a reality television contest, aimed at finding the next big drag queen. Carmen’s aunt, Tiah Carrera, hosted the production. Rivera referred to both Tiah and Carmen as his gay aunts – the connections he put his confidence into.
Eighteen years later, it has become tradition for someone who has competed in a season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” to hold a major role in Drop of Drag. This year, the headliner is Aja Miyake-Mugler, a finalist in Season 10 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.”
Hofstra Student’s Perspectives
Esa Gadson, one of the two production designers and sophomore broadcast journalism major, participated in Drag of Drag for the first time this year.
“I feel honored that I’m getting the chance to bring our producers’ visions to life and it’s also a full circle moment for me,” Gadson said. “I’m really excited to see how this vision is going to come to life.”
“I know today there are people who are against [drag],” Gadson said. “But the fact that people continue to do it [shows] their love and passion for it. And [it creates] a platform where it can be shared, [which] is such a beautiful thing.”
Drag Queens Take on the Stage & Politics
Aja Miyake-Mugler performed at Hofstra three years ago. For Mugler, drag is a vehicle, but not the full picture.
She remembers how electrifying the energy was “even when things didn’t go perfectly.” With that, Mugler noted that she was genuinely excited to return to Hofstra.
“There’s something really special about coming back to a space where you’ve grown, both as a performer and as a person,” Mugler said. “Opportunities like this feel full circle for me, and I love being able to bring a more evolved version of myself to that same stage.”
In her mind, student-run productions are where passion really lives. She noted these spaces are driven by people who care deeply about what they’re creating, stating that kind of energy is contagious.
“At my core, I’m a showgirl,” Mugler said. “I’m a performer who’s interested in transformation, glamour, storytelling and impact. Drag allows me to express those things, but what I do extends beyond any one label. It’s about creating moments that feel powerful, intentional and unforgettable.”
Furthermore, Mugler said her roots are in the ballroom scene, “where drag exists in a very specific and cultural context, especially within the ‘butch queen up in drags’ category.” “Butch queen up in drags” is a ballroom culture-specific term for a male-identifying person who temporarily adopts a feminine persona for a performance, or a runway.
“That foundation shaped how I see performance, identity and presence,” Mugler said. “Around the same time, watching early seasons of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ introduced me to drag as a broader, global art form.”
Having gone from watching “RuPaul’s Drag Race” to being on the show, Mugler continues to take that experience with her as her career progresses.
“One of the biggest lessons I’ve taken from ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ is that nothing replaces hard work,” Mugler said. “You really can turn dust into diamonds, but it takes discipline, resilience and belief in yourself. That experience pushed me to refine my craft and reminded me that every opportunity has to be met with intention and effort.”
Mugler hopes that productions like Drop of Drag will create spaces for today’s youth to explore, be seen, take risks and build confidence.
“For a lot of people, especially young queer people, opportunities like this can be life-changing,” Mugler said. “They can be the moment where someone realizes they belong somewhere. That’s powerful.”
On Wednesday, May 6, Thomas Pier, a junior English and English education double major, stepped into his drag persona, Ms. Esther Brooke. Drop of Drag marked Pier’s first time performing in drag. He got close via musicals, but never went all out like he did for Drop of Drag.
“Not to be cliche and quote RuPaul, but he always says, ‘we’re all born naked, and the rest is drag,’ and I couldn’t agree more,” Pier said.
He described drag as “joy, love and creation,” noting that being a drag performer is about expressing those ideas in a way that’s unique to you. He also stated that drag is such a big part of queer culture; productions like Drop of Drag allow queer people the space to celebrate each other.
“The more mainstream drag becomes, the more pushback we get from small-minded people,” Pier said. “However, the more mainstream drag is, the higher the chance of reaching the kids [and adults] who need to know we are here, and they are welcome just as [we] are.”
Overall, Pier hopes productions like Drop of Drag help queer kids realize they are not alone, and they have an entire community ready to stand up and cheer for them.
Folded into the mix, he notes, is the political aspect of such a performance.
“I think that drag is currently facing a lot of criticism and pushback from certain members of government and their followers,” Pier said. “I think now more than ever it’s important to get in some heels and dance. We aren’t scared of what they have to say. We are here, and we aren’t going anywhere.”
