Drag and Drop, the College of William and Mary’s club dedicated to all things drag, is gearing up for another year of showcases and workshops. During its four years on campus, the club has proven to be a thriving resource for the queer community, providing an inclusive space for students to explore their gender identity.
Drag and Drop hosts three shows per semester, each with a different format and theme. Its showcase has free entry for the public and is an opportunity for club members, called “droplets,” to display any and every performance that didn’t fit into the other two shows.
“That’s where we really try to let people go wild, do really experimental drag,” performance manager Loki Vita ’28 said. “Last semester for showcase, we had someone sing for their drag number, which wasn’t really something we had before. We like to explore versions of drag that aren’t just lip syncing because drag is a really expansive art form.”
The club’s second show of the year, Drag Bingo, features student drag performances between rounds of bingo, with chances for bingo victors to win prizes. The show’s theme switches from semester to semester..
Besides live performances, the club hosts workshops — with topics including the history of drag and clothing modification, makeup techniques and thrifting tips — to provide members with tools they can use for future performances. The club also hosts watch parties for TV shows or movies centered around drag.
“We go on trips to Richmond to either go thrifting or go see a drag show there,” club president Harper Quinlan ’27 said. “Sometimes, if we can, we’ll try to get performers from Richmond that are professional, doing part time or full time, to come down and lead a workshop for us.”
Richmond-based drag performers have also led stunt workshops with club members to help them hone the physical aspects of drag performance.
“We learned different ways you can strut; we learned a couple of dance steps that are pretty common in drag. We learned how to do a death drop, and we learned a 30-second choreo movement with all of the things we had learned in the class,” Quinlan said.
The club prioritizes safety above all else, ensuring that members don’t injure themselves and only execute stunts they are comfortable with.
“We had yoga mats. Safety is a big thing in our club because we have beginners. We don’t want anyone doing something they’re not going to be able to do and then they get themselves hurt,” Quinlan said. “So we’re not like, ‘You have to wear heels,’ especially because we have a lot of drag kings and drag things.”
For each show, members experiment with creating a drag persona for themselves, a process that is very specific to each individual.
“It can be very personal like that, kind of making it into a part of you that you don’t really have access to in the real world,” Quinlan said. “That’s where I think a lot of the gender thing comes through. It can also be something very fun and funny, especially if you’re doing comedy drag.”
The ability to express oneself in ways that might not usually be available has created a tight knit group and welcoming space for the queer community on campus, according to Vita. They plan to continue fostering this sense of belonging for the class of 2030.
“I want to share the gift it’s given me with all these incoming students because as I see the new year coming in — and I know a few of the people coming in — I want to be able to welcome them in and feel the same sense of community that I felt for the first time when getting here,” they said.
On a broader scale, the club fills its own important role for the queer community on campus.
“Right now it serves as a safe space for queer people and queer expression. If you’re in the club, you don’t have to perform or do anything; you can just hang out and watch,” vice president Leana Gyalokay ’27 said.
Prospective members do not need any past experience in performing or drag to join Drag and Drop, only the confidence to show people how they want to experiment with self-expression. In fact, people who don’t want to perform can help with lighting and tech during the shows or attend meetings purely to meet new people.
“At first, I was super shy to show other people in the club my choreography because mine was pretty lacking because it was my first time,” Gyalokay said. “But seeing other people do theirs, it becomes really fun. I think upon seeing other people in the club do it, you’ll be like, ‘Oh, this isn’t that big of a deal.’”
Drag and Drop is more than a performance club; to the club’s members, it is a space for finding friends and a supportive network that fosters safety and inclusivity. To learn more about the club and hear from current executive board members, interested students can attend general body meetings on Thursdays at 7 p.m. in Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall, room 162.
