If San Francisco's drag laureate can't make a drag club work in the city, who can?

San Francisco Chronicle​

6 days ago

If Oasis and its proprietor D'Arcy Drollinger are drag mothers to San Francisco's LGBTQ nightlife, the children are in mourning.
'D'Arcy has helped put Bay Area drag on the map and supported countless artists in the process,' said Oaklash drag festival and nonprofit co-founder Mama Celeste, who performed early in her career at Oasis' Daughter night.
Now, with the nightclub and cabaret's closure at the end of the year, that map is losing its lodestar. It's 'a huge loss for the queer and trans community,' Mama Celeste said.
The news, announced Monday, July 21, underscores a stark reality in this post-pandemic era: even the most beloved and high-profile landmarks of queer nightlife are not immune to the pressures threatening the city's cultural fabric.
Drollinger, as San Francisco's Drag Laureate and the creative force behind community traditions like 'The Golden Girls: The Christmas Episodes,' brought star power, ingenuity and an unwavering following to the club. For performers and audiences alike it's not just a loss — it's a warning.
'If a great room with great live entertainment, and a strong, supportive, deeply connected community can find itself forced to shut down, we're all in danger,' said Jim Sweeney, founder and host of the Hubba Hubba Revue at the neighboring DNA Lounge.
Drollinger founded the award-winning nightclub and performance venue with fellow drag entertainer Heklina and business partners Jason Beebout and Geoffrey Benjamin in 2014 at a time when 'we were desperately in need of something like Oasis,' said drag performer Peaches Christ.
'There really isn't anything like it,' she went on. The loss is especially painful, she added, because it also marks the end of a venue co-founded by her close friend Heklina, who died in London in 2023. (Peaches Christ is hosting a benefit for Heklina's archives at the club on Monday night.)
Michael Phillis, whose 'Baloney' burlesque review (with Rory Davis) and 'Patty from HR' character both found cult followings at the club, said that he and many performers 'cut our teeth here, honed our craft here, made a name for ourselves here, celebrated wins and losses and the everyday struggle of being gay, being fabulous, being alive.'
'Running a business is so demanding and requires constant effort and attention, and then throw a wig on top of it — D'Arcy used the club to unify our community with open arms,' said drag queen and community activist Juanita More.
Throughout its decade in operation, Oasis built a reputation for attracting queer celebrity clientele and in the last few years has become a destination for 'RuPaul's Drag Race' stars. It's also been known for creating programming with an emphasis on racial, ethnic and diversity such as 'Reparations,' which focuses on Black performers. Breonna McCree, the co-executive director of the Transgender Cultural District, called it 'a vibrant cultural hub for queer and trans artistry.'
Drollinger, who became sole owner in 2020, guided Oasis through the COVID-19 pandemic by launching Oasis TV, which streams past performances at the venue, and 'Meals on Heels,' a food delivery service featuring drag performances that drew national attention.
'I know D'Arcy and the entire team at Oasis worked so hard to hang on through the pandemic,' acknowledged District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey. 'I obviously root for the success of all our LGBTQ+ community institutions, but we were especially rooting for Oasis in the District 6 office.'
Dorsey said he's already contacted Anne Taupier, director of San Francisco's Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and plans to convene a meeting with all Oasis employees to ensure they're plugged into job placement and workforce services.
Drollinger said the decision was painful but unavoidable. After two years of shrinking audiences and declining bar sales, the financial pressure became too great. Costs have continued to climb, especially for insurance and security following an armed robbery at the club in July 2024.
He's holding on to the hope that a surge in support could carry Oasis to one last celebration on New Year's Eve, which would mark the venue's 11th anniversary. But even if Drollinger reaches that goal, the permanent closure of Oasis has broader implications.
As Devlin Shand, founder of the community gallery Queer Arts Featured, noted on social media, it's 'a loss that will have reverberating consequences for our performance art scene.'
Without the club, the South of Market's 11th Street corridor becomes 'less of a broader destination,' Sweeney said. The area has already suffered the loss of Slim's, its successor YOLO, Paradise Lounge and Studio Z.
'One of the best things about nightlife is that the more bars and venues in a neighborhood, the better we all do,' said the Stud Collective, the group behind neighboring South of Market queer bar the Stud, in a statement.
Their own history is a testament to that resilience; after four years without a physical home, the Stud reopened in 2024 on Folsom Street. 'If there is one thing the Stud has learned in our 70 years is, it's not over till it's over,' the collective added.
The Stud's revival serves as a reminder that queer spaces can bounce back— but only with sustained community support. 'We can't just talk about how much the arts matter, we have to be there. In the seats. At the shows,' said Shane Ray, founding artistic director of Ray of Light Theatre, which produces 'The Rocky Horror Show' at Oasis each fall. 'Showing up now, not just when something's at risk of disappearing.'
To that end, drag performer and Stud Collective member Honey Mahogany issued a call to action: 'Oasis isn't closed yet! I hope to see many of you there over the next few months.'