Redfern’s inclusive neighbourhood bar the Bearded Tit is partnering with Vivid to bring queer royalty back to the stage. The Tit’s usual Wednesday evening jaunt, Queerbourhood, is making way for Queer Performance Icons. The free, mid weekly event will transform the venue for three special evenings across the month of Vivid, from June 1 to 15. These evenings will bring you the best of the best and blasts from the past, as well as emerging and diverse DJs to keep the night going. Curated by Jonny Seymour of Stereogamous, Queer Performance Icons focuses on Sydney's underground history, delighting crowds with audio installations, storytelling, and the showcasing of talent, both young and old...er.
On Wednesday June 1, the Tit's first headlining act is Frumpus. An all-girl ensemble of subversive and hilariously comical performance artists, birthed from the rich and anarchic Sydney performance scene of the early 1990s and 2000s. Support acts include sex clown Betty Grumble, who is also bringing out her daring one-woman show for Vivid. The very queen whose life inspired The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and the first ever drag queen to perform at the Sydney Opera House, Dame Cindy Pastel is headlining on June 8. Representing Redfern, Gadigal elder, drag performer, and no stranger to the Tit stage Nana Miss Koori will be closing out the three-week programme on June 15.
In keeping with the Bearded Tit's mission of ensuring queer performances remain accessible to all, each event will be free. So, all you have to do is show up early enough to get a prime viewing spot.
