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A single fan is kept on the floor in the Someplace Else Nightclub dressing room. Jonathan Serrano, 20, will not be allowed to walk off the stage to accept tips while performing as drag persona Mysteria Starz, who will kick off the performances that night. Drag queens and kings perform in shows and compete in pageants — a tradition practiced for more than a century in the United States.

Helping continue this legacy in a diverse and expanding drag community is the House of Starz: a drag family whose name is continuing with the help of a new generation of drag enthusiasts living by the Ohio River in Southern Indiana and Western Kentucky. Inwhen the COVID pandemic kept him quarantined in his family home, hostile parents discovering the makeup that he would paint on himself late at night in the bathroom emboldened him to feel connected with his drag persona, Mysteria.

After graduating from high school inSerrano reached out to Bowers on social media to ask about an open stage night being held at Someplace Else. He said Londyn Starz appeared less intimidating than the other queens he was told to contact.

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When the two met, Bowers was already curious about the stranger who drove an hour to the stage that night. Serrano performed two more numbers that night, with Bowers, again, watching closely. As a drag family, their House is born. Serrano eventually became more acclimated to the dressing room backstage at Someplace Else, meeting fellow drag queens and kings for a Friday night show in April.

While seasoned bar and independent slasher film director Vivika Darko applied prosthetic makeup and drag king Xander Havoc touched up his face tattoos with a pen, CoCo Deville leaned over Serrano's shoulder, bald caps covering both of their scalps, giving motherly advice about blending makeup.

Deville, all the while, was the master of ceremony for that night's show. Amid the performers rushing backstage between performances with just minutes to change outfits, reposition any padding, brush their wigs and make finishing touches to their makeup, the general sense of camaraderie dictated that they never forgot to uplift one another before each performance.

Gilles, the most recently-adopted drag evansville in the House of Starz, has known Bowers sinceafter seeing him lip sync gay a University of Southern Indiana Greek life competition. Out of all the men performing with their fraternity brothers, Gilles could tell that Bowers was the only one who knew what he was doing.

Gilles, a native of Haubstadt, fell in love with drag when he started watching "RuPaul's Drag Race" at 9 years old. Gilles seized an opportunity to shine at an open stage competition at Someplace Else in February. Sevyn won second place indiana night. And in the next open stage competition, he finished first. Old Gilles from the crowd was Bowers, knowing that Sevyn was going to be the newest member of the House of Starz.

The three sit together in the Magnolia Room, where Bowers and Thorn are closest to the stage, judging competitors in the Mr. Magnolia Pageant. With drinks on their tables and pens in hand, writing down notes about each competitor, they whisper to each other while comparing their critiques between each category.

Thorn is no stranger to the showroom. Eighteen at the time, Bowers was already going to gay clubs in his hometown of Richmond, Indiana, where that was the minimum age to enter. He knew he was destined for the stage. A hesitant Thorn hinted at making a rare exception. You would ask questions and just go from there.