Vivian Morgan
San Luis Obispo has a scene of stage performers that showcase their talents while dressed in glitterati costumes, make-up and star power. Drag has the power to bring people together to be entertained by mystical, creative and silly performers.
Many of these performers are alumni of Cuesta College or Cal Poly, and use their art to connect with the greater SLO community of artists and activists.
Performers use theatrics, fashion, makeup and music to connect to the audience. Drag brings playful banter and most drag artists spend time constructing their own look, talent and schedule.
Hours of preparation go into planning some drag numbers. Drag shows are known for having high energy, money for tipping and groups of people singing together. Drag performance is known for combining elements of gender expression, emotion and political expression.
SLO drag performers can be found at places like Linnaea’s Cafe hosting for open mic night, Benny’s Pizza hosting drag trivia night, or at local dancing events.
Cal Poly Drag Club is a resource known to students and nonstudents alike for people who want to get together to practice their skill set or to mingle.
Three local drag artists who are known for their talents are Fae Fatale, Faerie K and DIRT.
Fae Fatale is a drag artist whose career started with the Cal Poly Drag Club.
They are known for their distinct black platform ankle boots, fishnet tights, thick silver belt buckles and a sheer veil covering their red wine hair that is styled into two tall horns at the top of their head.
“I like to pull from what I consider to be the queer origins, and so I like to pull more inspiration from other groups of people that have been othered and have been isolated. I find a lot of resonance in the kink and leather community, and queer ballroom culture,” Fatale said.
Fae Fatale was “born” in 2024, and they began performing in the winter of 2025.
Fatale said that what has helped them with their self-confidence in their stage performance is Cal Poly’s Drag Club, “The club had events that are like workshops and meetings with the queens. That really felt like there were things I could do and work on there before taking [Fae] into the real world.”
Fatale elaborated about their own gender expression and exploration through their public persona, describing a feeling of uniformity when they first came out as transgender: “I felt like I had to be hypermasculine and all these things in order to pass and to have other people see me the way I wanted them to,” they said. “But, then I still love doing makeup, I love doing that kind of art, and I felt like that was missing when I was trying to be this hypermasculine archetype.”
“The most appealing part [of drag] was being able to perform femininity again, but in a way that was more controlled and more like I ascribed it to myself, as opposed to everyone else describing it to me,” Fatale said.
The drag performers in SLO County have used their artistry to foster a community for creativity and queer joy.
“I felt like drag gave me my space in the community where I might not have known where I fit in if I had just graduated and tried to stay,” Fatale said, “The Cal Poly Drag Club is a great resource, and definitely not just closed to Cal Poly students. At the end of the day, queer people, I think it’s just very much like one big family”.
Fae Fatale’s next performance will be on Oct 12 in Santa Barbara.
Both Fae Fatale and Faerie K reflected on having religious family upbringings and how drag artistry has created new comfort zones for themselves.
K explained that before they were a drag performer, they learned their theatrical skillset before leaving their church. “[Drag] is just the fight against the system, kind of. It is a liberation, and everyone should be on board to feel liberated in some way,” K said. “That’s why I have in my bio that drag is for all and it is political.”
K’s stage presence included light-pink knee-high platform boots, a lavender iridescent gown, with light pink tulle sleeves draped over their arms that contrasted their neon pink six-inch tall ponytail. Faerie K wore a flowery perfume as an added fashion accessory.
“I’m like a mythical creature,” K said.
“I wanted to be a fairy. Basically, all my life I’ve been told that I am a fairy, and so I was like, ‘this is my chance to be a fairy on stage’. I wanted to sing, and I thought the avenue to do that was drag,” K said.
“There isn’t an established gay anything around here. And so it’s kind of like an act of resilience that it just keeps popping up. When someone leaves, someone else will fill in the slot,” K said.
Faerie K has spent two years organizing drag shows for SLO county, and can be found at Linnaea’s Cafe for open mic night on the first Thursday of every month.
DIRT is well-known for being jovial and full of jest. They wear a face of white makeup with purple contour on their cheek bones, a big red nose and bold down-turned eyebrows. A mustache and anchor beard are drawn on as well as small tears underneath both eyes, creating a frowning jester wearing a rainbow crochet court jester hat.
The small bells on their hat jingle while they saunter. “I would describe my style in one word, as ‘silly’,” DIRT said.
“I enjoy the comedic and humorous side [of drag]. That’s why I also use any pronouns, because any numbers might be silly in the ‘man’ way or in the ‘fem’ way or the whatever way,” they said. “I feel like I haven’t really pinned down characters in general. I like the comedy side of drag, I guess. Fun, silly, and very fun.”
DIRT recalled their first interaction with drag performance while at a queer prom when they lived in Sacramento. “I feel like, from the first number, I was like ‘wait, this is something I could do,’ ” they said.
DIRT said that they were inspired to begin performing after watching their friend perform at a Cal Poly Drag Club show. “I specifically remember having the thought of ‘if they can do it, I can do it,” they said.
DIRT enjoys being a theatrical person and brings a joking bit into each of their performances.
DIRT explained their initial anxieties with being on stage: “This [performance] really isn’t that deep, just like being a character, and you know, basically melding the words into a song. It’s kind of the same as what a lot of people do on apps and stuff. I just try to be cohesive.”
With a pranking sense, DIRT said, “I try to be a little looser [in drag] than I am because I feel like it also encourages others too. Kind of cliche, but I try to just have fun. Sometimes people come up and they’re like, ‘that looks so fun. I would love to do that but I can’t,’ and I’m like, ‘Why? Why not just do the thing?, “so I guess I also try to be accessible in that way with it.”
The community of drag artists in SLO come together to organize shows that foster emotion, play and belonging.
“Drag should be a unifying thing and not a polarizing thing, because it is an act of expression and everyone coming together to experience some type of energy,” Faerie K said.