Do you have what it takes to snatch the crown at Best in Drag Show 2022? The annual fundraiser is searching for six contestants to compete in the annual fundraiser to support the work of Alliance for Housing and Healing for people living with HIV/AIDS or other challenging health conditions.
Auditions for Best in Drag Show 2022 are happening on Saturday, October 23, 2021. Auditions are by appointment only. Email Jeffrey Drew to ask questions and to sign up at [email protected].
Best in Drag is part Miss America Pageants, part Best in Show (as in the dog show). Contestants come up with campy names to represent a State of their choice and they put on a show. Celebrity judges judge an opening look, swimsuit, evening gown, and talent followed by a Q&A.
“We’re looking for talent,” said director and producer of the show, Jeffrey Drew. “The talent portion of the show is the longest, so we’re looking for something exciting, something that people can’t see in a corner bar for a dollar. They will come in with a storyboard telling a little about their characters, what State they want to represent, what they would wear for the opening, bathing suit, evening gown and talent. And we’d see like a minute of talent about something they are hoping to do.”
Drew says the open call is for anyone who wants to compete and is looking to support a great cause. And pretty much anyone competes, from the drag queens at the local bars, to people from all over Southern California who are just joyous about putting on a good show.
“This is about love and service,” he said. “They don’t win anything, but this is a great way to give back and it is also a great way to get some exposure. You just never know. When I competed in 1814 [laughs] as Lotta Slots, I would then get these auditions. When I moved to New York people already knew who Lotta Slots was because of this show.”
Drew also says you don’t have to be a professional drag queen to compete. You just need some sort of talent that’s not just lip syncing to a song. And because this is a show about service, there are professional makeup artists, costume designers, choreographers, etc who donate their time for this great cause and to help soften some rough edges.
“There is the opportunity, but people are also coming to see the service,” he said. “They are in the show to help raise this money for an organization that is in need while dealing with homelessness and HIV. And you just never know what’s going to happen. That’s what’s so exciting.”
Best in Drag is produced by a dedicated team of extraordinarily talented volunteers who give their time year-after-year to support the mission of Alliance for Housing and Healing, which is to provide essential housing and supportive services to people living with HIV or other challenging health conditions.
Some of the services Alliance for Housing and Healing provides are:
- Group Homes with 24/7 care for those who are too ill with HIV/AIDS to live on their own and have no other resources
- Permanent, subsidized apartments that are safe places for individuals and families with HIV/AIDS and a second diagnosis
- Emergency financial assistance to pay rent and utility bills for those with HIV/AIDS who are facing eviction and homelessness
Best in Drag Show began as Battle for the Tiara—a small annual party and AIDS fundraising event filled with love and heart in Alexis Pittman’s living room. Each year it has grown and is renown as a not-to-be-missed event.
No longer able to squeeze into a tiny living room, the event now attracts 2,000 people at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. Helmed by an amazing group of dedicated and creative people and filled with outlandish characters, over-the-top performances, elaborate costumes and celebrity judges, Best in Drag Show embodies the ideals of humor, love, and dedication, while continuing the work started so many years ago in Alexis’s living room.
Over the years, Best in Drag Show has raised $6,000,000 to provide services for people living with HIV who are experiencing homelessness. The show went on despite a global pandemic. Best in Drag was a drive-in event at the Rose Bowl in 2020 to ensure the audience stayed safe. Miss Iowa Etta Pigg was crowned the winner and that night raised $325,000.
To learn more about Best in Drag Show 2022, visit: https://alliancehh.org/bestindragshow/
