How Magralete took the leap: A spotlight on the winner of UTSC's Got Talent 2025
Magralete is founder-president of the University of Toronto’s first official drag club and this year's grand prize winner valued at $1000.
Magralete during her performance at UTSC's Got Talent (Photo Credits: TNDVisual via Magralete's Instagram)
Framed by spotlights and two big screens, standing on the Science Wing front lawn, the UTSC Homecoming stage welcomed many talented performers this year. Homecoming is always one of the most anticipated orientation events, and UTSC's Got Talent, a competition where community members can show off their best abilities, was one of the highlights of the night.
Magralete is founder-president of the University of Toronto’s first official drag club and this year's grand prize winner valued at $1000. Under the wig, the fabulous makeup and the sparkly outfit is Thiago Caixeta, a Brazilian third-year student majoring in Biology and double-minoring in Theatre and Natural Sciences. In an online interview with The Underground, they opened up about their own inspirations, origin story and emotions when they take the stage.
Thiago confessed that the grand win at the talent show came as a blessing and a surprise at the end of a terrible week. After breaking their big toe, getting sick, having numerous assignments due and a lost laptop, Thiago was ready to give up on their performance. Despite being offered the choice to present themself on stage and just talk instead of perform, Thiago decided to go through with the show. Undoubtedly, the most jaw-dropping moment of Magralete's performance was the jump from the stage.
“Nobody was expecting it, not even I was expecting it, to be honest,” said Thiago. "It was in the heat of the moment, I thought, ‘You know what? I think I can jump from here, I'm gonna jump.’”
This unforgettable move is an example of Thiago's usual attitude towards performances. While a lot of preparation and thought is put into them, they shared that they frequently leaves parts unplanned with the intention of being spontaneous and letting the music guide them. The freedom of performing this way is what they enjoy the most.
Magralete was born during a school play in 2019, as an original character created by Thiago and the director. Magdalene was a man who disguised himself as a woman to stay in a town where only women lived after all the men fled. The name Magralete comes from the Portuguese word ‘magra’ translating to skinny, combined with the common Brazilian feminine name suffix ‘lete’. It was not until the start of the pandemic, when Thiago watched RuPaul's Drag Race, that they began to understand and gain interest in doing drag more seriously.
Taking visual inspiration from Doris, the bartender from Shrek, Brazilian icon Baby Bobolete and Amy Winehouse, Magralete took to the stage as a drag queen for the first time at a small café in Brazil. Dressed in a cheap wig and dress, with makeup done by a friend, Thiago brought Magralete to life through a lip-sync of “When Love Takes Over” by David Guetta ft. Kelly Rowland. Though they fell during the performance and had a hard time expressing their feelings through lip-sync, Thiago was happy to have done it and said it felt freeing.
Magralete's first performance at Terra Veggie Café in Sorocaba, Brazil (Photo Credits: Paula Metrovine via Magralete's Instagram)
“It's not about being the most polished drag queen, the funniest, the one with the best jokes or the one that prepared herself the most. What connects you to the audience is really showing you are comfortable and present in the moment,” they remarked as they talked about how Brazilian charisma and lightness appear in Magralete.
Over the last few years, Thiago has achieved a great deal in his drag career, including founding the UofT Drag Club and acquiring a drag mom in downtown Toronto. The club has provided numerous opportunities for both Thiago and those who are learning this art. Presenting on stages at UofT has given a safer space for everyone to learn and perform. Their next objectives as Magralete are to grow in the competitive drag scene in Toronto and to develop the next big performance: a solo act mixing improv, theatre and crowd work.
When asked about plans for the prize money, Thiago said, “My drag mom always tells me to save half to improve my art, I'm spending the other half on treats. Some good food here, some skincare there, a new pair of sneakers because mine were falling apart, and lots of makeup because drag makeup is expensive!”
Magralete with their grand prize (Photo Credits: TNDVisual via Magralete's Instagram)
