The third annual Scream Queens, a seasonal drag show presented by Northeastern’s Live Music Association, or LMA, lit up the Curry Ballroom Oct. 19. Hosted by local drag performer Gigi Glam, the lineup featured “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 14 winner Jorgeous, and Boston-based queen Briar Blush.

A line formed outside the ballroom before the doors opened, with everyone from first-time goers to longtime drag fans gathering for a shared experience. The event flowed seamlessly from start to finish, with Glam offering comedic breaks between two thrilling performances from each queen.

In typical drag show fashion, the show was an experience within itself. The queens encouraged the crowd to sing along and participate, working the floor throughout their stage time. Other than a slight dip in enthusiasm during a Taylor Swift number, the audience was actively engaged and was clapping, singing and cheering throughout the event. 

LMA selects specific queens and works with booking agency Pretty Polly to organize drag show performances, made possible by Northeastern’s Student Activity Fee. Several members of LMA’s executive board contribute to the queen selection process, drawing on their familiarity and interest in drag. 

Devin Mullen, a fourth-year cell and molecular biology major, is one of these few and conducts a great amount of research in addition to running all LMA social media accounts in their role as vice president of marketing. They also have friends in the local Boston drag scene. 

LMA has hosted drag shows frequently for the last several years. Mullen attended an LMA drag show their first-year, which showcased Sasha Colby, “your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen” and season 15 winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” before they continued to stay involved and join the club’s leadership. 

LMA strongly considers social media engagement and notoriety, as well as inclusivity through fulfillment of a diversity quota, in queen selection, Mullen said. 

Jorgeous, this event’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star, was the runner-up in the most recent season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” inspiring significant fan backlash insisting she was the rightful winner. She was also featured alongside Troye Sivan and Kacey Musgraves in their “Easy” music video. At Scream Queens, Jorgeous performed to Kesha and Taylor Swift tracks as well as one of her signature mixes with the precision and extravagance of an experienced queen. 

Blush is a local performer who first went viral over three years ago through a video performing as Diana Ross and is the drag mother, or mentor, of one of Mullen’s friends. Blush’s routines included “Hey Big Spender,” “Lovefool,” “I Touch Myself” and “Back to Black” and leaned into a well-established aesthetic with a vintage, emotional and glamorous approach.

Glam, also a local performer, has a background in comedy that shone through on stage. Glam’s shorter performances in between sets were coupled with a Beyoncé Super Bowl mashup and featured “Hush Hush” by The Pussycat Dolls. Glam is friends with Kori King, a recent breakout star on season 17 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and appears on King’s vlogs when she is in Boston. King has performed at events hosted by LMA in previous years prior to competing on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”  

“We’d been booking [King] for a few years because board members had gone to some of her shows and absolutely loved her, and she was a favorite all-around,” said Miranda Kannisto, a fourth-year behavioral neuroscience major and vice president of events for LMA. 

Kannisto shared that drag shows are LMA’s most popular events and its executive board’s favorite events to plan. LMA’s interactions with the local drag scene are symbiotic in many ways for both LMA itself and the students who attend the shows. 

Rachel Fensterer, a fourth-year communication studies and sociology combined major and special events co-chair for LMA, is involved in the day-of logistics in her role as part of the events team. 

“Usually, it’s actually so funny, a drag queen comes up in full makeup, full wig and in a sweatsuit,” Fensterer said. Her responsibilities included setting up green rooms and personally welcoming and accommodating the queens throughout the night. 

“I asked [Jorgeous] how long it takes to do her makeup,” Fensterer said. “I think it was multiple hours. And I was like ‘That’s crazy, all I did to get ready for this was throw on some mascara,’ and she looks at me and goes ‘And you look gorg!’ So that meant a lot to me.” 

Performers and audience members alike experience a unique exchange at on-campus drag show events like the ones hosted by LMA. These shows cultivate important queer exposure on campus. 

“A college gig is definitely to get a strong cult-following base in [a queen’s] local scene,” Mullen said. “I found that in our drag shows and talking to the queens, they thought it was super nice that they would be able to talk to a younger group and also a group of their peers.” 

Between performances, Glam facilitated an interactive experience for the entire crowd. Several volunteers from the audience catwalked and competed against one another, offering an inspiring, heartwarming and hilarious energy. 

“Seeing people’s reactions to seeing a drag queen … it’s larger than life, it’s the performance of gender as well as music, it’s something super tangible yet femoral at the same time,” Mullen said. “It’s always great how the crowd reacts even afterwards. It’s just a super joyous and reverent time. People seemed to loosen up afterwards.”