As the clock ticked toward its final hours, drag cabaret Oasis found salvation in the form of a multimillion-dollar donation from a billionaire couple.
Owner D’Arcy Drollinger announced Friday that the cash infusion will allow the SoMa theater’s supporting nonprofit, Oasis Arts, to purchase the club’s building at 298 11th St., supporting its long-term financial viability after years of mounting losses.
Drollinger intends to transfer ownership of the club to Oasis Arts alongside the donation.
“At the eleventh hour, this came through,” Drollinger said. “It feels like a Hallmark movie.”
The news was first reported (opens in new tab) by the Chronicle.
Oasis had been scheduled to close with a farewell performance on New Year’s Eve, after years of rising costs left it firmly in the red. Now it will close Jan. 1 for an undetermined length of time to complete the deal and undertake certain renovations.
Drag performers were ecstatic at the news, highlighting the decade-old venue’s status as a major center for queer artists in the Bay Area.
“I’m so happy for all those for whom Oasis is an oasis,” Oakland-based drag king Vera Hannush said in an email. “I’m glad younger generations of drag performers like my drag grandchildren and great-grandchildren won’t miss the opportunity to experience the magic of the space and the creatives that make it what it is.”
“It is amazing news to hear that Oasis will remain open. There isn’t another venue like it in San Francisco, and it is home to many,” drag queen Juanita MORE said in an email. “The club has brought such a wide variety of queer entertainment to life.”
Oasis is known for irreverent drag parodies of movies and television shows like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “The Golden Girls.” | Source: Special to The Chronicle
The tension stemmed from fears that rising ticket prices would push away young audiences. As a result, Drollinger has repeatedly covered the shortfall himself. The club’s rent runs $18,000 a month, and Drollinger said he has poured $500,000 of his own money into the venue since the pandemic, draining his savings.
Oasis has hosted drag shows “Reparations” and “Princess,” the Drag King Contest, and live parody shows like “Star Trek Live,” “Nine to Five,” and several annual productions of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Doja Cat (opens in new tab), Cindy Wilson of the B-52’s, Lil Nas X, and dozens of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performers are among the celebrities who have made appearances.
Drollinger opened the club on New Year’s Eve in 2015. With the donation, he hopes to expand beyond nightlife, envisioning the venue as a training ground for young queer performers.
Drollinger declined to share the donation amount but identified the donors as Mary and Mark Stevens, whose son Sky Stevens is a frequent Oasis patron.
Oasis owner D’Arcy Drollinger has spent years floating the venue out of his own savings. | Source: D’Arcy Drollinger/Oasis SF
“In just more than a decade, Oasis has become a leader in creating new art that connects and entertains, and has become a safe space for our LGBTQ+ community in times when we’ve needed it most. It is a cultural institution that has provided me, and countless others, immense joy,” Sky Stevens said in a statement. “My family and I are excited to see what this next era of Oasis brings to San Francisco.”
Drollinger said Stevens invited him to lunch this month before arranging a Zoom meeting with his parents Dec. 18. Drollinger said the donors were “very kind and generous,” and the meeting focused on what would be required to make the operation more sustainable.
“They felt like it was something important enough that San Francisco shouldn’t lose it,” Drollinger said.
In addition to buying the venue, which Drollinger estimated will cost between $3.5 million and $5 million, the funds will be used for roof work, an office remodel, and hiring Oasis Arts staff to boost continuing fundraising efforts and pay performers.
“It’s a renaissance for Oasis,” Drollinger said. “Life finds a way.”