If you’re looking for an escape from Popefest later this month, high-tail it to Atlantic City for the annual Miss’d America Pageant, which this year will be held on a new day and at a new venue.
The fundraising drag extravaganza will be staged Saturday, Sept. 26, at Borgata Casino & Hotel. It previously was held at Harrah’s, traditionally on a Sunday night.
The show, a tradition of more than 20 years, raises funds for the Schulz-Hill Foundation and Atlantic City GLBT Alliance, which distribute the money to regional LGBT organizations.
Alliance president Rich Helfant said organizers put out a request for proposal for the host venue each year, and Borgata’s plan outshone the others.
“The pre-production costs for Miss’d America are very high and Borgata pretty much beat everybody else by offering to give us everything we asked for. From a financial standpoint, it made the most sense to go there,” he said. “Plus, Borgata has launched a pretty aggressive — in a positive way — marketing campaign to the LGBT community, so they were looking for a signature event to be part of that.”
Helfant said Borgata has exhibited an unprecedented commitment to the LGBT market.
“At the beginning, I was in Joe Lupo’s office, who’s Borgata’s senior VP of operations, and he said, ‘I can write you a check, that’s easy. But I don’t want to do just that. I want to write a check and get involved, commit this hotel to be a true partner in this event and in the LGBT community.’ And they’ve lived up to that 1,000-percent. They’ve been so cooperative and a pleasure to work with. They’ve looked for ways to say yes instead of reasons to say no. It’s refreshing and encouraging that they’ve taken that attitude toward Miss’d America and the LGBT community at large.”
The Borgata Music Box, where the show will take place, has about 900 seats, about 400 fewer than the Harrah’s space.
Helfant said the slight decrease in space was worth being able to hold the event at the Borgata, and on a Saturday.
“Atlantic City is a Saturday-night town. We found we lost some support because it was on a Sunday night, a work and school night,” he said. “Most people have off on Sunday and so we felt it would be a benefit to selling tickets to move it to Saturday.”
Helfant said ticket sales are already outpacing other years, and he expects the show to sell out.
The format of the pageant will remain largely the same, with the addition of a runway. Instead of a headlining guest performer, like last year’s Village People, the show will feature the Miss’d America Dancers.
“They’re eight sexy guys and girls who are going to be doing their own routines and complementing the contestants,” Helfant said. “And that’s what people want to see: sex appeal.”
Ten drag queens from throughout the region will compete under a sci-fi theme. Mark Dahl is again writing and directing the show, which will be hosted by Carson Kressley.
Helfant said beneficiaries will be decided upon after the show, and noted in the past the show has benefitted the South Jersey AIDS Alliance, William Way LGBT Community Center, John C. Anderson Apartments, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Human Rights Campaign.
“It’s a night of hilarity for a tremendously good cause,” Helfant said. “You get to see 10 extraordinarily talented performers and laugh until your sides hurt. This year, with the Supreme Court ruling and marriage equality, the LGBT-rights movement has never been more significant than it is now. And to have all this happen on the stage of a major hotel in Atlantic City, to have everyone greeted by our openly gay mayor, it’s wonderful.”
And, Helfant joked, maybe the show will have a special guest.
“The pope’s been so LGBT-friendly, we’re hoping he’ll come.”
For more information, visit http://acglbt.org/events/2015-missd-america-pageant/.
