With the autumn chill finally setting in, students adorned in witch hats and fierce makeup did not look out of place as they gathered outside the Otter Student Union (OSU) at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 11 for the eighth annual Werk Witch drag show.
Inside the ballroom, students were packed coffin-tight, with the show sold out well in advance. 440 tickets were sold according to event organizer and Otter Cross Cultural Center coordinator Victoria Gomez, ready for a night of spooky celebration hosted by emcee and drag king Ayuni Please.
Three drag professionals judged the competition, Alpha Andromeda, Helixer and Xinestra.
They would judge the five competitors on the following criteria: honoring drag history, creativity, theme, persona, personality and fierceness. The top three competitors were recognized at the end of the show, with one witch crowned Werk Witch of 2024 and one Mx. Congeniality: the voted-in crowd favorite.
The crowd, already familiar with the concept of Werk Witch and Drag as a whole, did not need a refresher. “Does everybody know what drag is?” asked Please, to a response of applause and shouts of affirmation. “Ok we can skip that,” he responded, tossing his cue card away.
The crowd was alive, showing support to the performers by waving and clacking folding fans provided to attendees. Encouraging crowd engagement as the performers showed their spins and creative interpretations of the songs performed.
The biggest applause of the night came with the entrance of judge Alpha Andromeda. The cheers began even before she left backstage and grew louder through her entrance. It set the tone for the night.
Buzzkill, who performed during the 2022 Werk Witch show, was by far the audience’s favorite, winning Mx. Congeniality. Xinistra summed up his performance with one quote, “You ate it. I gagged.” The double entendre sums up not just Buzzkill’s roof-shattering performance to “Hungry Like a Wolf,” but the conspicuous and joyful overconsumption that makes drag what it is.
With the night coming to an end, only one could be crowned Werk Witch of 2024, a title that Shorty D. Elle walked in from the beginning to claim. Stunts, vogue and props, she elevated the room from her dramatic entrance with her cheetah-inspired outfit hidden behind a fur coat used to make a taunting grand entrance to her knee slide ending. The themed outfit, the makeup and the choreography came in to serve as soon as she stepped foot into the ballroom. Andromeda’s feedback on Elle’s performance explained why she was deserving of first place. “When you came in and revealed the coat, I’m like ‘Oh she’s gonna give it.’”
Werk Witch, now in its eighth year at CSUMB and attracting more attendees every year, was full not just of students but of drag fans and aficionados. With many attending the show for a second or even third time, they continue to return, as the event has exceeded expectations every year. “I thought this was probably one of the best ones that I have seen so far since being here,” said Dara Leon, a fourth-year communication design major. “It was so fun, the surprise elements from the performers, everything – the environment, the fans!” Alyssa Welter fourth year communication design major added.
At the end of the show, many gathered inside the OSU to take pictures with the winners, the judges and each other. “They pull it off every single year and I love it!” fourth-year psychology major Bella Sanchez shared. Outside, more students gathered to discuss the show, the manic energy of the event draining into laughter and joyful conversation.
Fourth-year cinematic arts and technology major Kaila Sims volunteers at Werk Witch because it’s a time when “people get to go out and feel however they want to feel,” a kind of release from the expectations of everyday life. Now with this year’s Werk Witch over the only thing to do is wait with bated breath for next time.