Student drag queens Mother Natwhore, Plain Jane Lady Berglain and Billy Rose will open for visiting queens who will take the stage for the 14th time at the Diva Drag Show.

Mother Natwhore, Plain Jane Lady Berglain and Billy Rose performed and won the top three positions at the Student Drag Show Thursday Oct. 26 to get to be the Diva Drag Show’s opening performers.

Professional queens who will be visiting Eastern include the host Ceduxion Carrington from Decatur, Ex Oh Carrington from Bloomington, Apollo Summers from Indianapolis, Corrina Carrington from Decatur, Auntie Heroine from Indianapolis and Eastern’s own Lady Save the Bees.

Apollo Summers will make her debut performance at Eastern on Monday.

Plain Jane Lady Berglain, student performer and junior psychology major, said the queens will keep tips they get at the show, and were paid to perform from EIU Pride’s budget.

Getting the queens to come visit Eastern only took a message for Plain Jane Lady Berglain.

“I Facebook messaged them. (The queens) all have their own Facebooks for their queen personas, so I contacted those,” they said. “Those are their business (pages) too.”

The show Monday is supposed to last until 10 p.m., but will probably last longer than that, Plain Jane Lady Berglain said.

“Once the show starts, it just goes,” they said.

Last spring, student queens were able to express themselves in drag garb for the first time on Eastern’s campus.

Plain Jane Lady Berglain said while the student show is  a more intimate and personal investment for EIU Pride members, the Diva show gives audience members a chance to see the progression of the performances, from student queens to professional queens.

“Our performers this year are going to be amazing for Diva (Drag Show),” Plain Jane Lady Berglain said.

Mother Natwhore, a student queen and junior pre-med major, said the show is a really fun time, and it pushes attendees past their comfort zone, which is needed from time to time.

“It opens a new perspective in the community,” Mother Natwhore said.

Mother Natwhore said the host usually goes over drag etiquette in the beginning of the show, so first-time attendees should definitely pay attention so they know what to expect.

“I am most excited to see the queens that are going to be coming around (from far away), and getting to meet them since I will be performing with them,” Mother Natwhore said.

Plain Jane Lady Berglain said EIU Pride can only pay the queens so much out of the organization’s budget, so tipping them is very important.

The Diva Drag Show is the biggest event EIU Pride has this semester, in addition to a few fundraisers in November, Plain Jane Lady Berglain said.

“Get ready to have a good time,” they said.

The Diva Drag Show will be held at 7 p.m. Monday in the Grand Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. Tickets for general admission are $5, front row tickets are $10 and VIP tickets are $15. Proceeds from the tickets will be donated to SACIS.

Kennedy Nolen can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].