A packed house of drag performers, politicians, and patrons dazzled a crowd at Oasis for a gala raising money for the club’s new arts initiative.
The South of Market LGBTQ+ club, owned by D’Arcy Drollinger, launched its Oasis Arts nonprofit to support queer performers and productions. It had raised less than half its goal before the Saturday-night event began; by the end, donors including Mayor London Breed and Planned Parenthood board member Jessica Bryndza met the ambitious target of $200,000.
“We love the arts and, more importantly, we love D’Arcy, and we love what Oasis represents. We want to see these artists thrive,” said Breed, who bid $2,000 on a magnum of champagne during the auction.
Drollinger has outlined plans to use the funds across several initiatives, including a film production facility with a 45-foot cyclorama. Last year, the venue paid 100 drag performers $1,000 each to perform on 60 street corners throughout San Francisco.
State Sen. Scott Wiener praised Oasis as a “sacred space” while acknowledging challenges facing local artists.
Bonita said her circle of friends — "the queers, the rebels" — flock to the city as a safe haven, "as a beacon for art." | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
Teosros Deressegne, left, and Dollii are loyal patrons of Oasis. “I’ve seen this city go down the tubes and come back up again," Deressegne said, "and I can feel a resurgence now." | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
Cheetah Biscotti performs Saturday. | Source: Special to The Chronicle
Oasis owner D’Arcy Drollinger helps Mayor London Breed onto the stage. | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
Patrons sidle up to the bar. | Source: Special to The Chronicle
Ali Scat, who performed on skates, credits Oasis for helping form a stage persona. "It's made me who I am as a person as well," she said. | Source: Special to The Chronicle
“San Francisco doesn’t make it easy to be an artist,” Wiener said, “and so it is always so inspiring to me that artists are always like, ‘Hell no, we’re not going anywhere.'”
Wiener made the stakes clear, acknowledging the political challenges facing the city and the region. “We have a fight on our hands as a community, as a country,” he said. “When I think about art and performance and all of that beauty and the strength and inspiration that it brings and the artists bring, that’s gonna energize all of us for that fight.”
A VIP guest in a backless gown. | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
A centerpiece at the gala, where VIP guests paid at least $250 for an exclusive early show. | Source: Special to The Chronicle
Breed celebrates winning a $2,000 bid on a magnum of champagne. | Source: Special to The Chronicle
California Sen. Scott Wiener called Oasis a sacred space in the community, noting that performers have shown resilience in a city that doesn’t make it easy to be an artist. | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
The VIP audience enjoys an exclusive performance before the main event. | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
Mudd the Two Spirit takes the stage with backup dancers. | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
Even with greater visibility of drag culture, the club has had to contend with shifts within the entertainment industry, performer Kochina Rude said.
“People show up at events around the city and they just take, they absorb and leave,” Rude said. “What’s left is that creatives don’t have the same support system as we used to.
“It feels more than ever that we have to fight really hard to keep our space here. We don’t have the engagement with the culture we are celebrated for.”
For many performers, Oasis is more than just a venue.
“I wouldn’t be who I am today without Oasis,” drag artist Ali Scat said. “It’s made me an artist. It’s literally kept people alive,” she said, referring to initiatives like Rude’s training on the use of Narcan.
Scat fought back tears.
“I can’t cry right now, ’cause I’m about to go perform.”
Performers mill about between acts in the dressing room at the SoMa drag club. | Source: Special to The Chronicle
Hosts, from left, Sister Roma, Honey Mahogany, and Drollinger watch a performance from backstage. | Source: Michaela Vatcheva for The Standard
Leo Mün, a backup dancer for drag queen Fuchsia, has been performing for about a month and expressed gratitude for Oasis providing a stage for so many entertainers. | Source: Special to The Chronicle
Christian González-Rivera, a New York City resident, has been a frequent guest at Oasis since he attended opening night. “I feel like the best drag queens in the world are here,” he said. | Source: Special to The Chronicle
Kochina Rude, a drag performer, has been leading an effort to educate Oasis guests about Narcan, supplying them with the overdose-reversal drug from the club every week. | Source: Special to The Chronicle
Fuchsia said “it would be pretty devastating if Oasis went away." | Source: Special to The Chronicle