After an application process with an astounding response, Qtopia Sydney has expanded the programme, which will run for the full 30 days of June. Throughout the event will be multi-genre acts, and performances from theatre makers, cabaret performers, drag artists, comedians, a cappella groups, and more. Plus, there’ll be discussions in literary events, and Qtopia Sydney’s first panel talk, Fearless Voices.
Pride Fest is the latest addition to Sydney’s Pride Month calendar.
“This year's central themes revolve around Compassion and Courage, particularly as we commemorate the significance of June in the LGBTQIA+ calendar. Sydney Pride Festival is set to unite the community through a grassroots celebration, honouring and sharing the history of Pride,” Pride Month Coordinator Glenn Hansen says.
“The focus will be on commemorating the compassion and courage demonstrated by those who paved the way. It underscores the importance of showing compassion to all and being courageous in sharing our stories and living authentically.”
Kicking things off will be the likes of comedian Annie Boyle with ‘Annie Are You Ok?’, as well as a cabaret, drag, true story in ‘The Year I Watched My Mum Die’ – the story of a son giving up his life in London to come back to Australia to look after his dying mother.
What follows is a programme packed with entertainment. Maybe you’re into cabaret like ‘Perversion Therapy’ from Callum Sandercock; ‘Cherry’, about one Katy Perry fangirl’s bubblegum bisexual adventure to pop her cherry; or ‘The Mini Marilyn’, an evening toasting to the sisterhood and an all-female cabaret full of glitz and glamour.
There’s also performances like ‘A Body At Work’, a deeply intimate piece of confessional theatre from Frankie van Kan (Frankie Valentine), absurd solo sketch show ‘Am I The Drama’ from Andy Balloch, ‘Nepo Baby’, a one-woman play about trying to make it in the cut-throat world of Australian celebrity; and ‘Personal Politics: Fifty Years of Queer Activism’, a conversation exploring what we can learn by critically examining the history of LGBTQIA+ activism in Australia.
“It is an honour to have so many acts participate in the festival and in turn, to be able to contribute to the cultural life of one of the most vibrant and vital months of the year for the community,” Artistic Director Carly Fisher says.
“Pride Fest will be a staple event in the Qtopia Sydney calendar, taking place each year during June, Pride month, to celebrate the creative, diverse and rich LGBTQIA+ talent we have in Australia.”
“We could not be prouder of our first season of Pride Fest shows and events, and grateful to the artists who are travelling from across the country, and from as far as Yale University, to share in this momentous month of celebration and culture with us.”
Pride Fest takes place at Qtopia Sydney from 1-30 June.
