News Story
This summer, we are delighted to present Queer Fest, in partnership with Pegasus Theatre, an exciting new festival to platform original work from LGBTQIA+ artists. It will also offer artists a new Oxford-based community and resources to create queer theatre. The festival will run from Thursday 20 to Saturday 22 June at our Burton Taylor Studio.
Queer Fest is an opportunity for LGBTQIA+ artists to connect with one another and experiment with exciting new theatre. Celebrating the diversity of the queer community, the three-day event will offer a vibrant mix of scratch-style performances and fully-fledged productions, placing queer talent centre stage in the theatre’s studio space.
Applications are open to all, including both individuals and production companies. Support will be offered to those without a production team, with The Playhouse connecting individual applicants with other artists (costume designers, directors, musicians, or writers etc.) to form bespoke creative teams that can produce a show together. Additional support will also be provided by The Playhouse team throughout the process to those who need it.
The festival is divided into two programme strands: the first is scratch-style content for artists with individual monologues or scenes, or rehearsed readings of short plays. The second strand is formed of fringe-style productions, offering artists the chance to stage one-act plays, whether previously produced or not, in a 50-seater studio setting.
Queer Fest is devised by Oxford Playhouse Resident Producer Leah O’Grady and Resident Director Lauren Carter.
“Lauren and I are immensely excited to be launching Queer Fest this summer, and we are grateful for the support of Pegasus Theatre. We hope this will be an opportunity for queer artists to access a platform and network that may not have otherwise been available. We are looking forward to reading all the applications, and curating a diverse and joyful weekend of performances, from scratch pieces to fully-fledged productions.”
