Donning a blond wig, a flowered halter top, a mini-skirt and a long leather jacket, Ball State University senior Nathan Smith emerged from behind curtains into a smoke-filled room.
The opening line to Sheryl Crow's "My Favorite Mistake" were his first words on stage, delivered to a crowded Mark III Tap Room Saturday.
Smith's Sheryl Crow performance was for the talent portion of Miss Gay Muncie, a beauty pageant for female impersonators that is a preliminary to Miss Gay Indiana.
Smith, under the alias Chelsea Nicole Parker, was the runner-up in the two-man competition. Both competitors will perform in Miss Gay Indiana on Sept. 19 and 20 in Indianapolis.
Smith's talent performance was a last-minute change after a technical malfunction prevented him from doing his original act.
"I think I would have [scored better]," he said. "I was more prepared, but showmanship is about changing at the last minute."
Smith said his talent performance was supposed to tie into his platform, which is the plan for the community each contestant has if he is crowned Miss Gay Indiana.
Smith had to change his talent performance because of a malfunctioning karaoke machine.
Smith's original talent was going to include statistics about AIDS and HIV, such as "25 million people have died from AIDS since 1991," he said.
"I had this whole beautiful package prepared that was very educational," he said. "I had it planned down to the nail. I really think it is easy to get out there and do this platform and then go out and do a talent where it is look-at-me, whereas my talent configured into my platform."
Smith said he plans to perform his original talent at MGI. He will test the equipment before the competition to avoid another technical malfunction, he said.
"It really was nerve-racking," he said. "I will have an ace up my sleeve next time."
Smith said his platform is DIVA, which is an acronym for Dedication to the Importance and Value of Awareness. The platform is dedicated to increasing AIDS/HIV awareness on college campuses, he said.
"The issue of HIV and AIDS is something that is kind of not dealt with," he said. "The education is very important. Working with Spectrum, I've been able to do some things with that. I'm just trying to get the word out about what we do. A lot of it is about raising money for what we do, but it's also the knowledge."
Smith said one of DIVA's main goals is to get Ball State to work with Muncie's community to promote AIDS/HIV awareness.
"By bridging that gap, I hope to achieve a fluidity, an open dialogue," he said. "I want to get the word out. Bring those issues to campus. The campus can benefit from what they're getting from the community, and the community cab benefit from what they're getting from the campus."
Smith said he began preparing for the pageant in June.
"My summer was really slow, and we were talking about what would happen if I went and did Miss [Gay] Muncie," he said. "My major is psychology. I want to counsel people in domestic disturbance issues; that idea of servitude and the idea that I want to be a philanthropist and I want to help people, this was just the next step."
After meeting with a national competitor, however, Smith said he had to change almost his entire act to meet MGI guidelines.
Smith said he would not have been able to organize his performance or costume without his friends' help.
"They say it takes a tribe to raise a child," he said. "It's taken a community to help me shine. They knew what I wanted to do with this. I would not be where I am without the team I have."
Smith said the most help he's received was his friends' encouragement.
"A lot of [the help] was positive reinforcement," he said. "I got a lot of positive e-mails or texts or phone calls. There's been a real unification of everybody trying to help me."
This was Smith's third drag show and first pageant, he said. He debuted Chelsea Nicole Parker at a Spectrum drag show in Fall 2006 and appeared in a second one in Spring 2007, he said.
Smith said the name Chelsea came from his dog, which shares the same name. Parker is his mother's maiden name. Nicole came from Shelby Nicole, which was the name he chose for his younger brother had his brother been born a girl, Smith said.
David Keeley, president of Great Lakes Productions, said the pageant's scores were the closest he has seen since the first competition in 1995. Great Lakes Productions is the company that runs MGI.
The pageant included an evening gown, solo talent and main talent portions. The main talent portion allowed props and back-up dancers, but the solo talent portion prohibited them.
Former MGM and MGI crown-winners filled the gaps with performances in between the competition's events.
MGM promoter Gary Allen said the evening gown and main talent portions have the highest-weighted scores. Judges also interview each contestant while wearing regular clothing before the competition. The interviews are a way for the judges to know the contestant's personality, he said.
The five-judge panel does not compare contestants but bases the scores on individual performances, Allen said.
"There's a very specific judging process," Allen said. "Categories are broken down into different areas. People are not scored against each other. They judge on what is presented on stage."
Judges not only scrutinize the performances, but they also examine appearance and poise, Allen said.
"Somebody could come out with a beautiful gown, but if they do not model it well, they will not be scored well," he said.
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