The iconic San Francisco venue was slated to close this year, but was rescued by a major donation from a Bay Area philanthropic group. At a live program in KALW's Studio Events Space, Oasis owner and artistic director D'Arcy Drollinger, along with producer Tito Soto, reflected on the relationships, creativity and collective care that transformed Oasis into a cherished institution and made its preservation possible.
D’Arcy Drollinger is an actor, writer, director, choreographer, producer, and entrepreneur. D’Arcy is the owner and artistic director of OASIS, voted San Francisco's best nightclub/cabaret. In 2023, D’Arcy was appointed San Francisco Drag Laureate, becoming the first Drag Laureate ever in the world.
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, creatively birthed in Downtown LA, and now living in San Francisco, Tito Soto is the drag prince of the West Coast. Inspired by legends like Freddie Mercury, KISS, and Elton John, Tito delivers one-of-a-kind high production performances, and is also the producer of queer events such as PRINCESS at Oasis Nightclub every Saturday. Tito tells stories through shows with props, stunts, lighting, and by interacting with carefully designed, intricate projection mapping.
Stafford Hemmer is a native of Washington DC, but has called San Francisco home since 1994. He is a graduate of Georgetown University (School of Foreign Service) and he attended the Diplomatic Academy (Vienna, Austria). His work experience includes the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Georgetown University, Bank of America, and GateCapital, LLC. However, he became a self-employed German-English translator/language services provider (LSP) in 2001. He served on the Board of the Northern California Translators Association and was frequent contributor to their newsletters and those of the American Translators Association (ATA). A listener to KALW since 1994, Stafford is an avid and dedicated volunteer for KALW’s 220 Live Events space. He was a competitive swimmer for 20+ years, and also enjoyed rowing, Muay thai, boxing, running, bodybuilding, and cycling. He is an active volunteer with the Castro Country Club and the Leather Cultural and Historic District.