Who Wants To Be A Drag Star Kicks Off With A Bang

Who Wants To Be A Drag Star, Cherry Falwell's all-new drag competition show, kicked off the season with Round One on Saturday, November 16th. The sold out event was hosted by Meadville Council on the Arts in the theater above the Market House in downtown Meadville and featured a pop up bar by Cussewago Creek Distillery. Four newcomers to drag (Veronica Ville, Emerald Rose, Velvet Viper, and Hydroxyzine) were given five minutes of open stage time to impress the judges and the audience. "I encouraged the contestants to show us what makes them unique. They could lip sync, juggle, sing live, do stand up comedy, anything they wanted as long as it was entertaining," said Falwell. Additionally, contestants were given a surprise on-stage challenge where they had to construct a garment or accessories using five random household items in front of the audience and then model their drag on a dime.

After several minutes of deliberation, head judge Travis Smith and guest judges Shea D'Heaux and Snarebear determined the top two performers of the evening. Veronica Ville and Hydroxyzine went head to head in a lip sync battle and Veronica Ville was declared the winner of the first round, securing her spot in the spring finale. The top two were also offered performance spots in the upcoming Slay, Belles holiday drag show at Cussewago Creek Distillery on December 14th. Performances from Cherry Falwell, Shea D'Heaux, and Snarebear rounded out the evening.

"I'm really happy with how well the show was received. These are really uncertain and scary times and Meadville really showed up for us. We saw a lot of new faces in the crowd. And I'm happy to say that we're just getting started," said Falwell.

Three of the five contestant slots for the second round are filled. Do you think you have what it takes to be the next drag star? Email dragstarmeadville@gmail.com to sign up. The competition is open to queens, kings, and drag performers of any gender 18 years of age or older.

If you'd rather be in the audience than on stage, tickets are on sale now for Round Two, scheduled for January 11th at Meadville Council on the Arts.