Image from The Queen In Me performance by Teiya Kasahara
It’s the 50th anniversary of Stonewall this year, and you bet we’ll be celebrating the strides the LGBTQ2IA communities have made with events across Vancouver all season. Beyond the celebrations, Pride is also very much about advocating for love and acceptance where, as a society, we can do better.
The Queer Arts Festival is one such cross-section of celebration and advocacy. It’s your chance to be a part of an arts festival that pushes boundaries, asks questions, and supports a loud and powerful community of artists.
Here are 4 events during the Queer Arts Festival you’ll want to check out:
A Night of Storytelling | June 19
Curated by Danny Ramadan, author of A Clothesline Swing and Grand Marshal of the 2016 Vancouver Pride Parade, A Night of Storytelling gathers LGBTQ2IA folks form the literary world to the stage, where you can hear their voices off the page. After the readings, they will participate in an open conversation about representation.
The Queen in Me | June 21 & 22
Have you ever watched an opera and, at some point, rolled your eyes a little at the painfully prevalent gender stereotypes? Right? Teiya Kasahara is a biracial, masculine non-binary female artist and opera singer who examines opera’s reliance on these stereotypes.
Diaspora | June 25
For those unfamiliar, diaspora refers to immigrant populations living away form their ancestral homeland. This collaboration gathers an ensemble of immigrant artists and community members for an interdisciplinary discussion on identity. A must-see, particularly if you had to look up the word.
Queer Songbook Orchestra | June 28
This national chamber ensemble will present queer backstories and personal stories that were inspired by music, with music. Plus, the performance will be followed immediately by a dance party!
Queer Songbook Orchestra | Image by TanjaTiziana
For more information, head over to queerartsfestival.com
Sign up for the Out In Vancouver newsletter if you are interested in hearing about more non-heteronormative and diverse news, events, and culture that are part of Vancouver–and to be notified on the latest contests.
One Response to 4 Events You Don’t Want to Miss at the Queer Arts Festival