Just as the artists it presents, Beauty Ball has undergone its own transformation.
Starting as a house party in 2010, the amateur-drag event has grown to a community-wide celebration held in the Gayborhood. Now in its fifth year, Beauty Ball will be held from 7-10 p.m. Oct. 4 at Woody’s, 202 S. 13th St., and will raise money for Mazzoni Center.
For the first two years, the event was staged in the home of founder Dr. Patrick Barrett but, in 2012, it moved to the Gayborhood. Last year, the fundraising component was introduced, with William Way LGBT Community Center being chosen as a beneficiary.
“There are so many terrific LGBT organizations in the city and in the end we decided that donating to Mazzoni — which covers all components of our community, offers programs addressing everything from health issues to legal issues — would give us the most pack for our punch, so to speak, and would reach the most people,” said event organizer Rick Naughton.
Naughton is working with party promoter Josh Schonewolf and the city’s newest LGBT athletic league, Stonewall Kickball, to get the word out about the party.
Last year’s Beauty Ball winner, Bev (portrayed by Drew Gaver), will serve as mistress of ceremonies. Guests are encouraged to don drag, and the event will feature a lip-synch competition.
Naughton said about 90 percent of last year’s guests wore drag and about a dozen volunteered for the contest, numbers he hopes to match or exceed this year. He emphasized that guests entering the competition do not need prior drag experience.
“The overall goal is to have fun. It’s a very casual event; we’re not professionals, and we don’t expect anybody else to be professionals,” he said. “Some people may not feel comfortable in drag or may not have the time to prepare fully, but that’s OK; we would encourage everyone to come, and we especially want everyone of all ages and men, women, anyone to come and dress in drag. This isn’t just a gay male event. It’s a casual, low-key, fun way to raise money.”
Joining the event this year is photographer Jonathan Hernandez, who will take professional photos of each guest in drag as a souvenir keepsake. Any guest who wants his or her face painted in drag makeup by one of the city’s leading drag queens can do so for $15.
Admission to the event is $10, which allows guests access to Woody’s dance floor until 2 a.m.