Darcelle XV Showplace

Darcelle XV Showplace is a drag venue in Portland, Oregon, opened and formerly operated by drag performer Darcelle XV.

Darcelle XV Showplace

Logo
The entrance to Darcelle XV Showplace and neighboring CC Slaughters in 2012
Location	Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates	45.5247508°N 122.673112°W / 45.5247508; -122.673112
Owner	Darcelle XV
Type	Entertainment venue
Genre(s)	Drag show
Opened	1967
Website
www.darcellexv.com

History

The club opened in 1967. In June 2020, the venue was nominated for national historic registry status by the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation, marking the first time an LGBTQ-related establishment was considered in Oregon.^[1] The site was listed in November 2020.^[2] The venue launched drag brunch in September.^[3] Darcelle XV, the founder and namesake of the showplace, died of natural causes at the age of 92 in March 2023.^[4]

From July 10 through July 12, 2023, Darcelle XV Showplace hosted a 48-hour Drag-a-thon attempting to break the Guinness World Records for longest drag artist stage show.^[5] In addition to attempting to break the world record, the event also raised money for the nonprofit The Trevor Project that provides crisis intervention services for LGBTQ youth.^[5][6]

Cast members have included Alexis Campbell Starr, Bolivia Carmichaels, and Poison Waters.

Reception

Darcelle's won in the "Best Drag Show" category of Willamette Week's "Best of Portland Readers' Poll 2020".^[7]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Northwest Portland, Oregon

References

1. Tonthat, Steven (2020-06-19). "Darcelle XV Showcase Nominated For National Historic Registry". opb. Archived from the original on 2020-11-16. Retrieved Dec 1, 2020.
2. Gormley, Shannon (2020-11-30). "Portland Club Darcelle XV Has Been Added to the National Register of Historic Places". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2020-12-01. Retrieved Dec 1, 2020.
3. Hamilton, Katherine Chew (2020-09-03). "A New Drag Brunch Is Coming to the Historic Darcelle XV". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2021-04-28. Retrieved Dec 1, 2020.
4. "Portland's famous drag queen, Walter Cole, known as Darcelle, dies". KATU. American Broadcasting Network. 23 March 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
5. Tonthat, Steven (8 July 2023). "Portland Drag-A-Thon aims to break world record". OPB. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
6. Moneil, Abby (11 July 2023). "A Portland Drag-a-Thon Is Trying to Break the World Record for Longest Drag Show". Yahoo Entertainment. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
7. "Bars + Nightlife: Congratulations to the winners + finalists of Best of Portland Readers' Poll 2020". Willamette Week. July 21, 2020. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.

External links

• Official website