‘Dear Oasis’: Drag queens and kings write love letters to the closing queer mecca

D’Arcy Drollinger kept finding himself in tears. He had just announced the impending closure of his legendary drag and cabaret venue, Oasis, and the response shook him.

“I wasn’t crying out of sadness,” Drollinger said, “but feeling overwhelmed at the outpouring of love and people talking about how much Oasis changed their lives. It’s been pretty profound.”

The SoMa club — which plans to host its final event on New Year’s Eve, exactly 11 years after it opened — became a cornerstone of San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ nightlight scene with its eclectic mix of drag, theater, burlesque, live music, comedy, and dance parties. It has hosted tens of thousands of performers on its stage, Drollinger estimates, from national entertainers like “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestants to homegrown talent. 

“I have watched so many people blossom in such beautiful ways,” Drollinger said. “They start in the audience, then become a backup dancer, and then a performer in their own right.”

Last year, the venue hosted 352 shows and paid nearly $800,000 to artists. While its events weren’t “making anybody super rich,” Drollinger said, Oasis became a place where performers could experiment, elevate their acts, and “be recognized for what they do and how much work they put in.” 

But despite frequently drawing big crowds (including the occasional celebrity guest like Lil Nas X and Anderson Cooper), the club was losing money. The rising cost of, well, everything, combined with declining alcohol sales and uneven attendance forced  Drollinger to dip into his savings to pay the bills. He said the cost of insurance and security, in particular, following an armed robbery last summer ate away at “razor-thin” profit margins.

“We kept coming up short, and I kept having to support it until I couldn’t anymore,” he said. “I have no regrets, but I ran out of money.” 

Though Drollinger is staring down the final curtain call, he plans to continue his nonprofit spinoff, Oasis Arts, launched in 2024, and hopes to help book talent at other venues.

“Our artists and audience are our family,” he said. “I’m very, very grateful to everybody. We really made something super magical, and super specific to San Francisco.” 

Drollinger’s rallying cry to anyone torn up about Oasis’s shuttering is to come see another show, or five. The club has a packed roster of parties and other programming over the next few months, including “Jurasiq Parq,” a musical parody with gyrating velociraptors. 

“This is the time to come,” he said. “Come experience this magical thing that’s happened for a decade — these five months are going to go by very quickly.” 

Following Drollinger’s announcement, fans poured their love and support onto social media. 

The Standard asked performers past and present to write love letters to the venue, noting what made it special and what they’ll miss most. Here’s what they had to say.

“I found my family at Oasis. Gracing the stage was medicinal. I fell in love with myself there. My mom got married! There are very few places where you can go to scream and cheer for your excellent, beautiful friends, and Oasis is that place. To every single person that made Oasis what it is, thank you! We're not going anywhere! Oasis Forever!”

“Oasis was not just a bar. It was a sanctuary to fall in love; with someone or something, but also with the most authentic and daring version of yourself. The vibration of what goes on at Oasis moves through the walls and the floors, and wakes up our queer ancestors and celebrates the liberation of living out loud. This was our church, our kitchen, our workshop — our home. Oasis may be closing, but the medicine that was crafted in that collective is eternal.”

“Dear Oasis Family — Thank you for giving me the space to share my talent and showcase my beauty. Loads of Love.”

“Oasis, it is difficult to overstate your impact on my art, my identity, and my life. From my early days dancing backup for D’Arcy at Sexitude PM to standing onstage by myself as a drag artist, the Oasis stage has always been my dream venue and my favorite nightlife home. I have immense love for D'Arcy and crew's tireless work to uplift the drag, burlesque, theater, and weird LGBTQ+ art scene. I am forever thankful for the opportunity to bring my best to countless shows overflowing with immense talent, both as a performer and supporter. Oasis FOREVER!”

“Home is somewhere over the rainbow. I am forever grateful for the opportunities Oasis has afforded me over the last ten years. Oasis is so much more than a venue. It’s a space to gather and make art together; it’s a place where strangers have turned into friends who have turned into chosen family; it’s our haven to create culture and community. There is no place like Oasis, because it is truly home.”

“Dear Oasis, You sure lived up to your name! My heart breaks but the memories will live on forever. All my love.”

“Top 10 Oasis memories: Armenian Oasis — Hye! Putting pizza in my crotch and eating it in honor of Snaxx. Winning Star Search and Heklina calling me Vera Exclamation Point. Being Spock to Leigh Crow's Captain Kirk. Coming out of a fanny pack — life-sized — twice! And for Princex Pageant, as a rabbit. Eating hummus out of my partner’s ass. Proposing to my husband onstage on NYE (ty, Tito Soto!). Every onstage guffaw with Jota Mercury and Kings. Tearing my ACL on a mini trampoline. Every single moment watching every single Bay Area icon!​”

“My dear Oasis, The minute I set foot on your stage, that perfect jewel box, your dressing room, I was home. I felt like you’d been with us forever. I created some of my favorite things, enjoyed some of my most cherished moments on your stage, in your audience. I can’t imagine life without you, but we all must. Everything changes, but what you housed, what you allowed us to build will live with us forever. A thousand thanks.”

“Dear Oasis — No words can describe just how important you have been to me for the last 10 years. I first started going to Oasis in 2015 as a wee 21-year-old; it was my first time putting myself in drag. I could feel the magic of Oasis as soon as I stepped in. It was at Oasis that I got my first opportunity to backup dance for a drag queen (and that queen was D’arcy). I won’t forget the joy I felt being on that stage. That joy continued every year, whether I was on stage, backstage, or in the audience. Oasis was where I found community at a time when I was feeling lost. And I owe so much of my almost 9 year drag career and success to Oasis. Some of my fondest memories have truly been at Oasis from Kiki-ing backstage, tech rehearsals with Otter, performing some of my favorite and most meaningful numbers on that incredible stage, and partying on the roof while Heklina poured our drinks heavy. I’ve grown so much as a performer and have been able to build up such a strong community thanks to you. Thank you Oasis for everything that you’ve done for me and for this community. Getting to be on this stage has truly been a gift. It’s been such an honor to witness and be a part of all the magic that happens within your 4 walls. You’ve been my second home all these years and you will be terribly missed. I hope that one day we can recreate the magic of Oasis and take it further beyond the greatness it has already reached. I love you Oasis.”

"Oasis is a queer sanctuary. It is the place where I always felt welcomed and safe. It allowed me to embrace my queerness and a big inspiration to come out and became the birthplace of my drag artistry. Oasis nurtured and fostered individuals that shared the same passion and or just want to be part of the magic that Oasis produces. I will forever be grateful to be part of the memories and history of Oasis."

"Dear Oasis, I was there the night you opened and I will be there the night you close! 'We did have fun, no harm was done, so thanks for the memories!' Love you."

“I’m not sure where to begin when it comes to reflecting on Oasis. I'm also avoiding too much reflection as we still have 5 months in business and I want to do everything I can to bring love and light to the space while I still can. But I will say, the day that we announced we'd be closing at the end of the year, the absolute hardest part was seeing the shock and heartbreak from the community. Oasis IS community, Oasis is a home to so many people, and similar to ‘Cheers,’ it really is a place where everybody knows your name. I remember my first visit to Oasis as a guest — it was such a special, unique, fabulous place, I knew I needed to be a part of it. And be careful what you wish for, because I became D’Arcy’s right hand man and have worked virtually every position possible at Oasis. The club feels like an extension of myself — I take opinions and feedback about Oasis very personally, and so knowing we're closing feels like a part of me is coming to an end. But Oasis is bigger than the building it lives in. Oasis has seeped into the fabric of San Francisco, and even when the physical space is gone, the friendships and skills and artistry and ingenuity I’ve been lucky enough to experience there will last a lifetime. I am truly excited however to watch all of us take that Oasis spirit into our new chapters, whatever those may be. While I want to save most of my reflecting and mourning for after the space is gone, I fear I’ll never stop reflecting on what it was like to be a part of this adventure.”

"Oasis is the place I was fully embraced for who I am! It is my 2nd home and so many other queer artists' 2nd home because it says 'yes' to all our crazy ideas. I would not be the person I am today, whom I love, without Oasis. I love you so much and will miss you deeply."