Wanna Know What Happens When Three Famous Drag Queens Visit Evansville, Indiana?

Wanna know what happened when three world-famous drag queens visited Evansville, Indiana? You'll find out tonight if you tune into We're Here on HBO Max. I, personally, cannot wait.  I am a huge fan of the show and the impact it has on the communities it films in.

This is the second season of We're Here and an episode of it was filmed in Evansville earlier this year.  Here's the premise of the show.  Three well-known drag queens- Shangela, Eureka O'Hara and Bob the Drag Queen, visit small towns around the U.S. to stage one-night-only drag shows that feature residents from the communities.  The idea is to show how empowering drag can be and how unifying it can be even in "small town" U.S.A.

By the way, in case you are unfamiliar with the show's stars. Here's a quick refresher course from someone who's a longtime fan of all three.

SHANGELA

Shangela Laquifa Wadley appeared on Season 2 of RuPaul's Drag Race and, unfortunately, ended up being the first contestant eliminated that season. However, she quickly became a fan favorite and ended up competing on Season 3, where she placed fifth.  Shangela also competed on Season 3 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. You may also recognize her from the Lady Gaga/Bradley Cooper version of A Star is Born.  She holds the distinction as being the first drag queen to walk the red carpet at the Academy Awards.

EUREKA O'HARA

Eureka O'Hara, self-nicknamed "The Elephant Queen," was also launched into the spotlight on RuPaul's Drag Race.  In Season 9, she was an instant standout, but she seriously injured her ACL during filming and had to drop from production. She was invited to return for Season 10 where she was runner-up.  Eureka also competed on the most recent season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars where she was one of three runners-up.

BOB THE DRAG QUEEN

Bob the Drag Queen is a former champion of RuPaul's Drag Race.  In fact, he won Season 8 of the show.  He has also acted in a variety of TV specials and stage plays, including Berkeley Rep's production of the Tony Award-winning play Angels in America back in 2018.

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Interestingly, in the context of We're Here, all three of the show's stars can relate to the ordinary residents featured in the weekly episodes.  Shangela, Eureka and Bob all hail, originally, from small towns.  Shangela grew up in Paris, Texas. Eureka was born in Bristol, Tennessee. Bob the Drag Queen is originally from Columbus, Georgia.  All three lived and survived their own degrees of oppression

In We're Here, the three drag queens roll into small towns to tackle issues that come from growing up as a member of the LGBTQ community in similar areas.  They share their own experiences and they share their art.  Each episode concludes with a huge drag show and that show features community members the three have made over for the performance.  The finale of the Evansville, Indiana episode was filmed on July 9th, 2021 downtown at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

You can watch the show (and the stories told in it) tonight on HBO Max.

So far this season, We're Here has aired episodes filmed in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Temecula, California, Del Rio, Texas and Selma, Alabama.