Features / Cabaret
A unique combination of drag and circus
Bristol is full of drag performers and regularly hosts drag nights. But it has never before seen a night showcasing drag acts alongside international circus performers.
Queer as F*ck Cabaret was created by Rowen K and has been running for the past year and a half showcasing local and international performers.
On July 26, Queer as F*ck’s Big Summer Party will feature drag performers including Dosa Cat and Miss Dynasty, burlesque artist Cleopantha, and circus performers including The Circus Boi.
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Dosa Cat, a renowned drag performer, will appear at Queer as F*ck’s next Cabaret show – photo: Captured by Corinne
Rowen created Queer as F*ck to fill a gap in Bristol’s queer scene – to combine circus and queer cabaret.
As a queer circus performer himself, he has been able to build a long list of contacts within the industry.
When curating the lineup for cabaret events, Rowen works hard to ensure homegrown performers are always showcased: “It’s about mixing Bristol’s best with the world’s best.”
Miss Dynasty, also a part of the city’s ballroom community, is one of Bristol’s most established drag performers – photo: Charley Williams
The event is first and foremost a queer event. “My intention with it is I want people to be loud and leave with a feeling of relentless self-love,” Rowen told Bristol24/7.
He added: “Queer events are dropping like flies. The cost-of-living crisis means events are disappearing.
“Things are being cancelled left, right and centre. We are pushing harder than ever for ticket sales, which sometimes feels like screaming into the void.”
“But we are standing our ground. We are insisting that events and spaces like this will stay.”
The Circus Boi is an established pole performer – photo: Giggs Lee
Rowen said the queer community in Bristol has offered the Queer as F*ck cabaret unwavering support: “Bristol is so great because the queer events don’t compete against one another. Everyone raises each other up.”
Looking to the future, Rowen intends to take Queer as F*ck Cabaret to areas surrounding Bristol that don’t have access to queer spaces.
He wants to attend fringe festivals with the performers and branch out to other cities and his long term goal is for Queer as F*ck to have its own venue, which could be a queer-friendly space with circus and performer workshops during the day and a couple of performance nights a week.
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“There is nothing else happening like this in Bristol,” Rowen said.
“World-class circus alongside stars of drag. It’s an all-star stellar cast of legends in one space. The cast will never be the same and every time, I guarantee, it’s going to be a knockout.”
Queer as F*ck’s Big Summer Party takes place on July 26 at Old Market Assembly. For tickets and more information, visit www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/whats-on/old-market-assembly/fri-26-jul-queer-as-f-ck-big-summer-party
Main photo: @Lylacreates
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