It’s almost time to paint the town pink, with Sydney’s Fringe Festival kicking off this weekend and running for the entire month of September.
Festival director Kerri Glasscock told GSN that this year was going to be bigger and bolder than ever before.
“It feels like Fringe has landed and spread its roots deeper into the city, with festival gardens, tents, cabaret clubs and a whole lot more,” she said.
This year there has been an explosion of queer acts on the Fringe scene, particularly with the return of some acts from WorldPride.
“Fringe is a vital platform as it’s the only time artists can guarantee they can put on the show they really want. They can say ‘I’m going to do the show my way’.”
One of the new additions to Fringe is the “Hello Darling” tent in Darling Harbour, which is hosting a range of drag acts, circus and cabaret.
One such act is RuPaul Drag Race Down Under Season 2 winner Spankie Jackzon, who told GSN that she was excited to lose her Fringe virginity.
“I’m a virgin all over again, at my age who would have thought,” she said.
She’s not the only Drag Race alumni performing. Brisbane-based queen Beverly Kills will be bringing her debut one-woman show into town as well.
It’s not just drag acts though; cabaret performance Tender is also taking centre stage. One of its performers, Mitch Wnek, described it as an act that explores the many aspects of tenderness, sexuality, power play and intimacy.
“We bring a unique perspective, showcasing queerness through a variety of different lenses that aren’t highlighted in Sydney enough and certainly not in the same show,” he said.
Listed below are just some of the more than 20 different queer acts that will be on throughout the Fringe season. Tickets are on sale now at sydneyfringe.com.
The full list of known queer acts are listed on the next slide (there may be other queer acts in other Fringe shows).
Eliot Hastie is a senior news producer at Channel Ten, reporting on a range of general stories, specialising in foreign affairs and LGBTQ+ stories. He’s also a reporter for Gay Sydney News, where he covers LGBTQIA+ culture, politics and nightlife. He previously helped to build and launch ausbiz, Australia's only live streaming finance news channel, where he was also an executive producer and host. He has previously worked as a finance and business journalist for publications including Fintech Business, Real Estate Business and other Momentum Media titles. Eliot holds a journalism degree from the University of Westminster and brings experience in both broadcast and digital reporting. Contact Eliot: eliot.hastie@gaysydneynews.com.au
