Welcome to OUTstages #12: Curator’s Note

A journey through queer history – stories, songs and moments that shaped us

As a curator, I don’t program based on a “theme” (in fact I usually hate themes, ask my colleagues) but this year, a connection emerged throughout the festival programming: a journey through queer history. This journey is a common thread that weaves throughout the lineup. It also serves as a reminder to take a moment to look at the past, to remember the struggles we have overcome as a queer community, and to celebrate and gather together as a beautiful community of queer people, of allies and of adventurous theatre lovers! Here are a few queer history highlights from this year’s festival:

• A century ago in New York, gender was fluid and Pansy Bars were the hottest ticket in town; revisit the music and stories of the Pansy era with Sterling award winner and Edmonton drag queen Lillith Fair in The Pansy Cabaret.
• Drawing influences from pop divas like Whitney Houston and adding in jazz, R&B, and musical theatre, Nigerian born and BC based artist Buwa brings soaring vocals and personal stories to the stage in his solo show, Songs of Love & Light.
• Recalling the Blitz, the Plague, sex, pleasure, kink, shame, and God, two aging queens reminisce fifty years apart, each bringing the past to the present and celebrating the future with the virtuosic performance of David John Phillips in Oh! I Miss the War

As Intrepid Theatre celebrates our 40th anniversary in 2026 and the festival heads into year 12, we are also reflecting on our own queer history with a pop-up archive in the lobby of the Intrepid Studio. Visit it before shows at the Intrepid Studio when the lobby and archive will open 1 hour before showtime. 

Thanks for sharing space with us at the theatre, for joining us for our last festival at The Metro Studio before it closes this Spring, and be sure to check out the free events we have programmed throughout the festival. It’s time to get OUT – get out of your house, get out of your comfort zone, and get down to the theatre!

Sean Guist, Artistic Director