Queer as F*** VII: Resistance and Rebellion!
Queer as F*** turns up the heat with “Resistance and Rebellion,” a short play festival featuring queer stories of risk-taking and truth-telling, August 7-16.
SAN FRANCISCO - This August, Queer as F*** and Bindlestiff Studio present “Queer as F*** VII: Resistance and Rebellion”, a short play festival that features queer acts of rebellion, big and small, hilarious and harrowing, personal and political, and everywhere in between. During a time of unprecedented attacks, isolation, and erasure, this year’s festival features the work of 26 Bay Area queer directors, writers, and actors of color, unapologetically placing the stories of queer people of color center-stage. There will be a pay-what-you-can Community Preview night on August 7th, followed by a limited two week run, opening Friday, August 8th and closing Saturday, August 16th.
This year’s lineup features “Glitter Riot: Fragments of Fire,” a devised piece featuring a trio of performers that take the audience through a journey of movement, music, radical joy, and protest, and “Through the Garden,” a time-warping drama that explores an young painter’s past leading up to a pinnacle, yet disheartening moment in their career. Community is front and center with a tender and powerful drama, “Tahanan,” set in a small town, Filipinx-owned café, whose staff and regulars come together to defend the heart of their community against transphobia, and in the riotously funny “Bi(Annual) Women’s Support Group,” where a group of bisexuals share fears and fantasies about their shared biggest dream: to finally date a woman. Love and laughs are on the menu in “Date Night” for an asexual couple who accidentally make reservations at an over-the-top erotic Berkeley dinner party, and for a lesbian first date in the park, with a surprising neurodivergent musical twist in “Jingles.” And horror short “Cursebreaker” tackles terrifying topics like family trauma and ghosting through a spooky tale of ghost hunting exes coming together to end a family curse, rekindle queer love, and build a chosen family.
The current events of this year have brought a particular poignancy to the show this year. “We brought everyone together for our first reading on the first day of Pride month, and the energy was palpable,” shared co-producer, writer, and director Sandra Criswell. This year’s theme of resistance and rebellion is a reminder of how our collective struggles are all intertwined. René Ly, co-producer stated,”Our positionality to tell stories during these times is an offering and reminder how laughter and being in community are critical in our fight towards liberation.”
Performance Dates:
Thursday, August 7, 7:30 pm (Community Pay-What-You-Can Preview)
Friday, August 8, 7:30 pm (Opening Night)
Saturday, August 9, 7:30 pm
Sunday, August 10, 3:30 pm (Matinee)
Thursday, August 14, 7:30 pm
Friday, August 15, 7:30 pm
Saturday, August 16, 7:30 pm (Closing)
Tickets:
Student/Senior: $20
General Admission: $25
Support the Artists: $50
Community Preview: Pay-What-You-Can
NOTA (no one turned away for lack of funds)
Location: Bindlestiff Studio, 185 6th Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
Accessibility -Scent-free, wheelchair accessible, aid for the hearing impaired. Masks required for Community Preview, highly suggested for all shows.
Queer as F***: Resistance and Rebellion will run at its home, Bindlestiff Studio from August 8-16th. Founded in 1989, Bindlestiff is the only permanent community-based performing arts venue in the nation dedicated to showcasing emerging Filipino American and Pilipino artists. The studio has been at its current location in SOMA Filipinas on 6th Street since 2011. The show is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Theater Bay Area.
This festival not only offers entertainment but serves as a platform for queer and trans people of color to express their unique narratives. "This is a space for us to explore identity, conflict, and humor within our community," says Jud Ferrer, the festival's founder and longtime collaborator with Bindlestiff Studio. "It's a space for storytelling that challenges assumptions and celebrates who we are in all our diversity."