Darcelle XV Showplace is a
drag venue in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
, opened and operated by drag performer
Darcelle XV
Darcelle XV (November 16, 1930 – March 23, 2023) was the stage name of Walter Willard Cole, an American drag queen, entertainer, and cabaret owner and operator in Portland, Oregon. Guinness World Records had certified him as the oldest drag q ...
.
History
The club opened in 1967. In June 2020, the venue was nominated for national historic registry status by the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation, marking the first time an
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
-related establishment was considered in Oregon. The site was listed in November 2020. The venue launched drag brunch in September.
Darcelle XV
Darcelle XV (November 16, 1930 – March 23, 2023) was the stage name of Walter Willard Cole, an American drag queen, entertainer, and cabaret owner and operator in Portland, Oregon. Guinness World Records had certified him as the oldest drag q ...
, the founder and namesake of the showplace, died of natural causes at the age of 92 in March 2023.
From July 10 through July 12, 2023, Darcelle XV Showplace hosted a 48-hour
Drag-a-thon
Drag-a-thon was a drag show held during July 10–12, 2023, at the drag venue Darcelle XV Showplace in Portland, Oregon. The event was a successful attempt at setting a Guinness World Record for the longest drag stage show. Drag-a-thon was conc ...
attempting to break the
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
for longest drag artist stage show.
In addition to attempting to break the world record, the event also raised money for the nonprofit
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1998. Focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth, they offer a toll-free telephone number wher ...
that provides crisis intervention services for
LGBTQ youth.
Reception
Darcelle's won in the "Best Drag Show" category of ''
Willamette Week
''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture.
History
Early history
''Willame ...
'' "Best of Portland Readers' Poll 2020".
See also
*
References
External links
*
1967 establishments in Oregon
Drag (entertainment)
LGBT culture in Portland, Oregon
LGBT places in the United States
National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Oregon
Northwest Portland, Oregon
Old Town Chinatown
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