As Lady Muerte adjusted her curly black wig and applied a decadently gothic shade of lipstick, she knew exactly what she would be sashaying into.

"It will be fun, campy and just oozing with gayness and silliness," she said.

She then took the stage in her shiny, black pleather garb and cautioned the audience that her performance would differ a bit from the rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" that had preceded her act.

"Be careful, children," she said with a smirk. "Because somewhere over the rainbow, you might find me."

On Saturday night, Dan "Lady Muerte" Saniski (senior-English), along with six other drag performers, shed their identities as Penn State students and alumni to morph into drag kings and queens at the first Student Drag Show, sponsored by Allies and Late Night Penn State.

The free show attracted about 500 people to HUB Alumni Hall as part of Allies' National Coming Out Day weekend celebration.

A panel of seven judges -- composed of student officers and faculty, including Interfraternity Council President Andy Hackett and officers from the Undergraduate Student Government and Allies -- had the task of selecting the show's winning king and queen.

"This is my first drag performance," said Jeffrey "Kim Chi" Funk (graduate-chemistry). "I'm scared that either my wig will fall off, my boobs will be crooked or that I'll fall on my face."

However, her jitters seemed to disappear when she stepped into the spotlight in a short, black pleather mandarin dress and matching thigh-high boots.

Each performer brought a unique element to his or her persona.

Regina "Christopher Robin" Ferry (freshman-English), hailing from the Hundred Acre Wood, was the picture of "cool" in shades and jeans as he lip-synched to George Michael's "Faith."

Politics were brought into the spotlight though Joel "Olive Black" Graham's portrayal of Laura Bush. While Graham (graduate-microbiology and biochemistry and molecular biology) lip-synched to Tammy Wynette's country song "Stand By Your Man," she stole the show by mouthing actual sound bytes from the First Lady, which were placed intermittently throughout the song.

Christopher Robin and Olive Black were awarded the titles of king and queen, respectively, and danced together in their crown and tiara to Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This."

Allies social director Morgan Masterman said the packed show was a success and the Student Drag Show will become an annual event.

Suzanne Stone (senior-vocal performance) and Niral Parikh (senior-biochemistry and molecular biology), the drag show's emcees, emphasized the show's importance to the LGBT community. "It's an outlet that students can participate in and express themselves," Stone said.

Parikh agreed. "Drag shows are received really well in an environment like Penn State's," he said. "It's getting better every year, ever since gay rights have become a national issue."

Mark Lambros (junior-civil engineering) and Amy Kerker (junior-music education) said this was the their first drag show experience and they had initially expected to see "some guys dancing around on a stage," but the show was more than they expected.

"We'll definitely come back to another," Lambros said.