Introduction

As some of you may know, I started Whale Extravaganza as a nonprofit organization aiming to help raise awareness (and hopefully funds) for the conservation of whales and other cetacean species. As a girl with big dreams but no degree in marine biology or environmental conservation, I figured the best way I could help was to put my performing arts degree to work by orchestrating a larger-than-life celebrity drag show fundraiser in Provincetown, MA, featuring RuPaul's Drag Race stars Jinkx Monsoon, Raja Gemini, and Tammie Brown, along with local stars Rainbow Frite, Raquel Blake, and Susan Boil, hosted by Brini Maxwell of Style Network's The Brini Maxwell Show, all of which benefiting the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies and the World Wildlife Fund. For those of you who don't know about Provincetown, its two foremost tourist attractions are whale watching and fabulous drag shows and other LGBTQ events, and somehow the two had never been combined before, so the event was also a fun way to represent a little bit of what Provincetown is all about.

From L to R: Raquel Blake, Jinkx Monsoon, Tammie Brown, Raja Gemini, Me, Rainbow Frite, Susan Boil

It goes without saying that I couldn't have done this all without the help of some amazing friends who volunteered their time to help with all the many facets of the event. Thank you so much for everything you put into making this happen! I have to give special thanks to John Michael Crotty, my production stage manager, without whom the event would not have been possible. 

From L to R: Brini Maxwell, John Michael Crotty, Me

The show ended up being a lot of fun and I was blown away by the amount of people that journeyed to the little cape town in support. Not to mention how amazing it was to see the performers giving everything on stage with absolutely no rehearsal. There has been a lot of buzz and local media attention surrounding the event and I would love to continue on with my crazy dream and make Whale Extravaganza: A Whale of a Drag Show an annual event for Provincetown and potentially expand to other towns as well.

Jinkx Monsoon singing "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from The Little Mermaid

I plan to utilize this blog to document my continued efforts in fully realizing these goals with fervor! Stay tuned! For more pictures, info, donations, and merchandise, click here: www.whaleextravaganza.com.

-Aly