Local celebrity will make history at SF Giants game

September 10, 12:17 AMSF LGBT Issues ExaminerEric Ross

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Donna Sachet in her signature color (Photo courtesy of
Donna Sachet).

History is about to be made in San Francisco. On September 29th, the San Francisco Giants will be getting ready to play ball at the AT&T Park. Before they do though, someone special will come out on the field to sing the National Anthem, and no one knows how to come out and do it better than a drag queen! That’s right, in just a few weeks, the fabulous Donna Sachet will grace the field and sing her heart out to the audience of sports fans. Is she scared? Not at all.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to sing the National Anthem,” Donna said. “Although I have never sung at a major league game, I have sung our National Anthem many times, usually preceding a big event, sometimes social, sometimes political. I sang it once at an event in New York at the Marriott Marquis, which is located on Broadway. I immediately updated my resume to say that I had sung ‘on Broadway!’"

It does seem surprising that someone in drag would be on the field singing the National Anthem before a major league game, and you’re probably wondering how it all came about. Donna and Pat Gallagher, President of the Giants, met last year while working on a video for the SF Convention & Visitors Bureau annual luncheon. Donna mentioned her dream of singing at a game and Mr. Gallagher encouraged her to apply, suggesting that a demo CD would be a plus. Being the good Girl Scout that she is, Donna just happened to have a CD on her with a few songs she had prepared some time ago. Shortly thereafter, Donna received a call with an offer to sing, but was unable to attend the scheduled event due to a prior engagement. The season ended without another offer. Donna didn’t give up though, and she decided to try out again this season. “I was hoping that the Giants weren't like the White House where once declined, another invitation was not to come,” she said. “Sure enough, I received an email with lots of notice and I accepted their invitation to sing.”

San Francisco Giants' Edgar Renteria leaps in the air during
a game. Perhaps he was excited after hearing that
Donna Sachet was going to perform (AP Photo/Morry Gash).

Donna has been singing live for quite some time now. She joined the SF Gay Men’s Chorus back in 1990, and although her schedule doesn't allow full membership in the chorus any longer, she often performs with them as a soloist and will be hosting and singing in their cabaret shows at the Regency Ballroom on October 23 and 24.  She has also performed in a couple of musicals including Ruthless with Sharon McNight and Jungle Red, a drag parody of The Women.

Donna’s performance on the 29th will surely be a historical one. “I hope that people will see and hear me and be reminded of the limitless possibilities in San Francisco,” Donna said. “It does not surprise me, however, that the SF Giants would be the first, just as in 1994, when they became the first-ever professional sports team to host an AIDS benefit game, ‘Until There's A Cure Day.’ Since then, the Giants and the Giants Community Fund have repeated the effort annually, generating more than $1.3 million for Bay Area AIDS education and care/service organizations and international AIDS research.”

Donna is known for wearing red, but she has yet to decide what to wear for the big occasion. "Although I am known for RED," Donna said, "our opponents that night are the Arizona Diamondbacks who wear RED, so that won't work." As for Donna’s friends, she finds their reactions amusing as more of them learn of her special opportunity to sing at AT&T Park. “When I tell a friend on the phone, there is usually a long pause on the other end of the line and then they ask, "Donna, do they know?" I reply, "I'm sure I'm not the first baritone to sing the National Anthem at a Giants game!" 

 Support Donna in the crowd as she sings the National Anthem. Buy your tickets here.

Want to see Donna Sachet perform before she sings at the ballpark? Catch her at Sunday’s A Drag at every Sunday Harry Denton's Starlight Room. She will also be throwing her annual holiday show, Songs of the Season, benefiting the AIDS Emergency Fund, this year on November 30, Dec. 1 & 2, at The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko.

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