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More than a performance: The Lyric hosts Halloween drag

Katherine Borsting, Staff Reporter

October 25, 2023

Collegian | Cait Mckinzie

Miss Jewdy, Bang Bang Von Loola, Krisa Gonna and Little Sarah Tonin stand together after their drag show performances at The Lyric Oct. 20.

With the month of October comes the holiday of Halloween. Those who celebrate may use the evening to dress up and act as a different person, expressing themselves however they see fit.

The Lyric in Fort Collins put on a Halloween drag show Oct. 20, showing how drag and the holiday go hand in hand. The evening was full of Halloween film-inspired performances, trivia and drag videos.

The show was hosted by Krisa Gonna, drag director and performer at The Lyric, which hosts the largest monthly drag show in Northern Colorado. As a performer herself, she believes drag brings so much to the Fort Collins community.

“Hopefully, those who attend my shows come out inspired with an open mind,” Krisa Gonna said. “Drag is a form of art, and as an artist, I think it can teach those who watch it so much.”

The show was full of performances ranging from drag to burlesque, which kept the audience engaged from beginning to end. Many performers had elaborate outfits that played into the theme of Halloween. Some highlighted popular horror movies such as “M3GAN,” “The Addams Family” and “Carrie.”

The show featured performers such as Bang Bang Von Loola, a burlesque performer, and three drag performers: Miss Jewdy, Miss Construed and Little Sarah Tonin.

“It’s cool to go to local venues, and I think Halloween drag is a great way to get into the spirit while also supporting the LGBTQ+ community that Fort Collins has,” attendee Tee Gonzalaz said.

Along with the various performers, the show also had interactive elements such as trivia that allowed for audience participation. Four audience members were selected to go onstage and compete for a chance to win a free ticket to the next drag show held the following month.

The trivia game consisted of questions to test participants’ knowledge relating to popular Halloween films and allowed the audience to not only interact with Krisa Gonna, the host, but with each other as well, bringing a lively atmosphere to the show in between acts.

Another element the show offered was a video showing Krisa Gonna doing drag makeup on what she referred to as her “drag child.” The film delved into more serious topics of the struggles the LGBTQIA+ community faces, as the subject of the video went into detail about their upbringing and how growing up in a small town affected their perspective on the queer community.

Throughout the show, Krisa Gonna cracked jokes that kept the audience laughing and flawlessly transitioned the sections of the show.

Attendee Ty Laurier loved all the different parts the show had to offer.

“The show was great, and it had so much going on that I think it was a great way to break it up and keep it interesting,” Laurier said.

The Lyric puts on a drag show monthly for those over the age of 18. Tickets start at $12 and are $15 the day of. The shows are an opportunity for locals to engage with the community and enjoy captivating performances.

Reach Katherine Borsting at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @katbor2025.

About the Contributor

Cait Mckinzie, Photo Director

Cait Mckinzie is a second-year student double majoring in art and journalism and media communication. She is one of two photo directors for the 2024-25 school year. Despite growing up in Renton, Washington, Mckinzie knew she wanted to go to Colorado State University since middle school. She had only ever been to Colorado twice, but she visited campus once, and that was all it took. At first, there wasn’t much in Fort Collins that Mckinzie was familiar with. But in high school, she was the co-head of visuals for her school newspaper, so she applied to The Collegian as a photographer to get back into a similar environment. Mckinzie was first introduced to photography by her grandfather, who has been a photographer most of his life. After he gifted Mckinzie her first camera in her junior year of high school, she began to take any assignment she could for her high school paper to improve her skills. Of all the memories made in her first year at CSU, most of the interesting ones came from The Collegian. One Halloween drag show assignment, a lot of mentorship and a few months of practice later, Mckinzie found herself being offered the position of photo director for the next academic school year. Mckinzie is excited for another year at The Collegian and aims to continue learning and growing during her time as one of the photo directors.

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