Cool fall weather has finally started to blow across campus, bringing a surplus of rain, seasonal drinks at the Brew and Halloween-themed window decals. As the Augustana community revels in the changing season, midterms approach with increasing urgency.
A select few students, though, have more than just tests to practice for. This year, the halfway point of the semester is also marked by the college’s annual mock male beauty pageant, Mr. Augustana on Oct. 15.
The event, presented by the Chi Alpha Pi sorority, showcases the entertainment abilities of Augustana’s finest performers with categories ranging from swimwear to talent competitions. Charity fundraising is at the heart of the event, but each contestant also brings their own personal motivations.
Junior Holden Siena, a captain on the varsity men’s swim team, said that his previous experience as an audience member made him want to join this year.
“Last year I saw a lot of my swim team friends do it and it just looked like a ton of fun,” Siena said. “I love to perform, and it’s something I don’t get to do very often. I’m so busy with academics and athletics, so that aspect of just going out there and putting on a show and having a good time is what drew my attention.”
Siena was so motivated to join that he reached out to a friend and member of Chi Alpha Pi and repeatedly asked her to nominate him.
Mr. Augustana contestants have the option to accept or reject their nomination, but they can also apply themselves. Junior Nathan Mesina debated joining in previous years and took the initiative for this year’s show.
“I applied before I was nominated. I thought about [applying] last year, but I didn’t end up doing it because I was a little nervous. This year, I feel more confident that I can entertain a crowd,” Mesina said. The identity of his nominator remains a mystery to him.
As with any performance on the scale of Mr. Augustana, nerves will inevitably come into play. What makes this pageant special, though, is the cause it supports. All proceeds, including ticket sales, merchandise revenue and donations, are gifted to the American Cancer Society. Because of this, Mr. Augustana transforms itself from a mock pageant into a judgment-free zone.
In addition to the sense of community fostered by such a cause, the performers themselves are motivated to put on the most outrageous and entertaining show possible. Through the varied categories of formalwear, swimwear, talent, dance and question-and-answer, each contestant will have their opportunity to shine.
For his talent, Mesina said that he drew on a side of him that most people don’t get to see.
“I’ve always wanted to perform in front of a crowd, and I wanted to sing because I feel like a lot of my friends don’t see me as that person to have a voice,” Mesina said. “I used to do choir and I sang at my godfather’s wedding.”
Sophomore Kaden Micklos, winner of this year’s event, said that his bold performance was thanks to his musical theater background and the support of his friends.
“[The stage] is honestly where I feel most in touch with myself,” Micklos said. “I did a performance to ‘Holding Out for a Hero’ from the musical ‘Footloose’ and I brought my two best friends on stage to sing and dance back up. I had a few outfit tear-aways that went well with the song – it literally led to leather underwear with tassels.”
For sophomore Declan Hutton, the talent portion of the competition is an opportunity to showcase his abilities in art.
“My talent [was] speed art,” Hutton said. “I’ve been an artist for many years; things don’t really change much except for the time. I [was] doing the whole piece to the soundcheck of Funkytown.”
tana mock pageant on Oct. 15, 2023, in Centennial Hall. (Linh Tran)
Sophomore Zach Renner, first runner-up, said that he leaned towards comedy in his performance.
“My main objective is to get a laugh out of the crowd,” Renner said. “I [sang] ‘Kiss’ by Prince, which is really, really rolling the dice, but I’ve been practicing. I [wore] a lot of purple.”
The varied talents of the event made for an exciting show. This holds true for the audience and for the performers, who said that applying as a contestant is a great way to get out of your comfort zone. This means that even though planning and practicing go largely unseen by those attending the event, joining the pool of contestants still carries meaningful benefits.
When it comes to an event like Mr. Augustana, there’s even more hidden behind the scenes than just performer preparation.
Sophomore Maddy Overstreet, fundraising co-chair for Chi Alpha Pi, said that the dedication towards Mr. Augustana runs deep within the sorority and the campus community.
“We have contestants from different Greek groups on campus, from different activities, of different ages and different majors,” Overstreet said. “It’s such a beautiful experience to watch these lovely humans come out of their shells and put themselves in such a vulnerable position.”
Interest in Mr. Augustana can be found across campus, but interest doesn’t plan an event. Within Chi Alpha Pi, committee communication ensures that every facet of the performance is ready to go by showtime.
“We have runners, we have tickets [and] we have entertainment, which is the committee in charge of setting up our acts for intermission,” Overstreet said. “We [also] have our choreography committee and our stage crew.”
In fact, 13 committees in total came together this year to bring Mr. Augustana to life, including a public relations committee which facilitated communication with the American Cancer Society. Not only does communication play a decisive role in the success of the event, but practices and a dress rehearsal ensure that the contestants are prepared to give their best show.
“[In] our first couple of rehearsals, we focused a lot more on choreography. We also rehearse different segments,” Overstreet said.
To dedicate so much time to practice during such a busy part of the year speaks to the importance of the event and the weight it carries at Augustana. Behind the performance lies an understanding that the dedication is worth the cause.
The positive benefits of the event starts with its fundraising goals but don’t end with them. By welcoming students of all backgrounds and varied talents to the stage, Mr. Augustana acts to highlight campus diversity. Overstreet said that the event fosters stronger relationships across campus groups.
“This event would not be possible without so many lovely people: all of the members of Chi Alpha Pi and the other Greek groups who not only have contestants in the show, but come to support us, and Sheri, who works in the Oval Office [and] lets us work in the Brew,” Overstreet said. “This event would not be possible without our loving and diverse campus community, and we are so, so grateful every single day to have that not only in our contestants, but in our audience as well.”
Students attending a Mr. Augustana performance may familiar faces of their friends on stage in dress pants, speedos and group dance routines, but they may also see the faces of future friends, putting the acceptance of Augustana’s student body into the spotlight in more ways than one.
The format of a mock pageant is especially powerful in this context. What is typically a time for judgment turns into a time for acceptance. The gender norms associated with male beauty are flipped on their head and acknowledged as absurd. Overstreet said that it is important to look past one’s initial feelings about a pageant to see what the event is truly about.
“The point of Mr. Augustana is not to be sexist at all. It is a mock male pageant show,” Overstreet said. “We put that in the title because [the event] is supposed to be a little bit silly, and it’s supposed to mock the pageant shows that do have real structural gender issues.”
Because the event is a mockery of traditional pageants, contestants can freely express themselves without fear of ridicule. The reduced stakes that come with this freedom also encourage friendly competition, the spirit of which is very much alive in the hearts of this year’s contestants.
Renner said that the audience at a Mr. Augustana show should come prepared for a stunning performance.
“You’d better bring your A-game because I’m gonna bring my A-game,” Renner said. “To the fans I would say, ‘if you expect greatness, you’ve come to the right place.’”
When asked about his win, Micklos said that the competition shared by the contestants melted away at the end of the night.
“When we were all lining up at the very end… looking at everybody and watching everyone backstage, there was a point in time where I was like, ‘it doesn’t even matter [who wins],’” Micklos said. “We’re all here. We all killed it.”
