The Queer Variety Show
Need to contact Megan Munro/Sparklemuffin/Mena Paws - email me at
Queer Variety Show
Featuring Queer/LGBTIQA+ and Disabled (includes neurodivergent, mental illness, chronic illness) performers and our allies
Please do not wear perfume or cologne and consider wearing a mask to protect audience and cast who can catch colds and flus easily.
Smith's Alternative
76 Alinga Street, Canberra, ACT.
Tuesdays 7pm - 9-30pm
29th October - Open theme
17th December - 'Beliefs' theme
Inquiries - MrGreenTealDrag@gmail.com
Next Show, 29th October 2024
Image description: A graphic with a wavy progressive flag background - rainbow colours running horizontally and a white, pink, blue, brown and black triangle coming in from the left side. Over the top of it is a black box with the letters QVS in white. Below the box is an Arachne Art logo - a small peacock spider on a blue background, a Smith's Alternative logo in the midddle and $20 and $25 written in white.
The third Queer Variety Show, as no theme, leaving performers the opportunity to do an act of their choice. It will feature Queer and *Disabled performers and our allies.
This months performers are: Lasciel, Jem, Honey Boom, Alibi, Des Cartes, Sunny Sinclair, Garry O'Connor and Nexus. Emcee Mena Paws.
We will have a couple of prizes to give away.
You are encouraged to wear whatever you feel comfortable in. This could be your Pjs, your oodie, tracksuit or an evening gown. Whatever you like.
Please do not wear strong smelling perfumes or similar products and consider wearing a mask to help keep the show safe for disabled folk attending.
*disabled as a broad umbrella term this includes but is not limited to, chronic illness, neurodivergent, mental illness etc.
Buy tickets here
Performers for 29th of October
Lasciel
Lasciel (they/them) loves to show themselves as a parody of both the binary idea of gender, and the idea that drag makeup needs to look perfect and contoured. Their attitude is turned up to 11, and everything they sing is full of emotion. But careful! If you get too close without consent, they will bite!
Image description: [Photo description: a person in drag makeup is looking straight at the camera. They have drag king makeup on the left side and drag queen makeup on the right side. Both sides are styled deliberately messy. The left side of the hair is slicked back and the right side of the hair is pinned up in curls. End photo description]
Nexus
Photo by Empress Eyrie
We welcome you to the Nexus we hope you have a good time and don't get too lost in the dark moist Cave. A non binary badass here to give you it all and then take it away again. With a background in poetry and performance Nexus is ready to lure you in to the darkness of their Cave with their mystique
Image description:
This photo of Nexus is from the waist up. They are a white skinned person, with purple shoulder length hair. They have purple and pink toned makeup on. They are wearing a black sleeveless dress, and some black beads. They have their left hand up near their face, with their thumb in the corner of their mouth and a finger curved around their chin, the rest of the fingers are bent and out of view. Their other arm is by their side and disappearing from the shot. They have a questioning, sexy expression on their face. The background is black.
Des Cartes
It’s going to get philosophical and mathematical with drag king Des Cartes! His motto is “I twink, therefore I am”, and he certainly does enjoy plotting on some XY… axes that is, of course.
Image description:
This is a graphic that has a black background with lots of white mathematical style drawings and equations on it. In the centre there is a large oval shape, and in that shape is Des Cartes. The image is of his left shoulder and head, he is holding his left hand behind his head. He is a pale skinned drag king, and through his squinting his eyes appear to be dark. He has a black leather jacket on and a black top.
Honey Boom
Photo: Nathan J Lester
She’s strong, and sexy, and as supple as they come. A Hyper Queen who’s performance style, gender, & body is so elastic you’ll be bending over backwards to come and see her put on a show. You might know her as the handsomest man in Canberra, Magnus Magnum, but it’s time to now get slayed with seductive looks, strength, & the total FLEX of all that is Canberra's queen of the bimbos, Honey Boom!
Image description: Honey Boom is squatting down, with knees bent and is holding strands of her long straight, fuchsia pink hair. Behind here is some green, white, orange, black and yellow graffiti. The ground is grey concrete. Honey Boom is a white skinned person, she has on pink themed makeup. She is wearing a fuchsia pink sleeveless jacket, that is covered in embroidery and other patches, underneath is a musk pink tee shirt with a black rim around the collar and a logo that is mostly hidden. She also has on musk pink shorts, fuchsia pink tights with black, large holed fish net stockings over the top. She has on mid calf, red tartan platform boots, that have white soles and some chains hanging off them. To complete her outfit she is wearing several bracelets and a black studded leather wrist band and lego block earrings. She is looking directly at the camera with a ‘what the fuck do you want?’ expression on her face.
Garry O'Connor
Garry O'Connor is a disabled, pansexual trans man.
He is an amateur writer/ actor. He has written and performed monologues as well as a short play. He has also acted in student films and an ad.
He still has a passion for the creative arts and hopes to offer at least one of these in his work: humour, meaning and exploration.
Image description: Garry is a pale skinned man with short, light brown hair and beard, with blue eyes. This photo is a headshot, Garry is wearing a blue and white striped polo shirt. He is outside, the background is trees and bushes in front of a yellow wall.
Sunny Sinclair
Photo by: Boudoir Queen Canberra
A little bit of sunshine, a whole lot of sin, Sunny Sinclair is the performer with a penchant for taking you on a trip down to demontown. A lipsyncing burlesquer who loves to celebrate pop culture characters, she's a bombastic being on stage. Bringing curves, swerves, and plenty of glitter, she'll take you on a wild ride right into the Netherworld.
Just don't utter her name three times...
Image description: Sunny is a pale skinned person with long dark hair. She is wearing a long black dress, that has a split up the side of each leg, they also appear to be wearing black sleeves or gloves. They also appear to be wearing red horns and they have black framed glasses on. They are pictured here frolicking in long grass, at night, carrying a skeleton. Her right hand is under the skeletons back and her left hand under it’s thigh bones just above the knee. Her left leg is exposed through the slit in her dress, her head is tilted back and they are laughing. The background is dark, as if the photo was taken at night.
AliBi
Photo: Douglas J Robinson
AliBi is a performance artist with an eclectic array of styles including pole, strip, burlesque and drag. AliBi thrives on sharing the embodied fusion of sensuality, story and sass. Their sultry stare and slightly threatening aura lure you in, unknowing what will happen next but willing to find out! Latest Reviews: “Made me wet from my eyeballs (and other places)”, “That was so hot I popped my tuck!” “Heart aching in all the best ways!” Follow them on IG at @ali_bi__art
Image description: AliBi is a white skinned person. They have short dark hair and blue eyes, in this photo they are on all fours on a long, dark, waiting room type of seat. They have their arms stretched out a bit in front of them, the leg further from view is bent and they are resting on that knee, the leg closest is dangling off the side. They are wearing a black, sleeveless top with side panels that are slightly transparent. There is a thigh strap visible on the leg closest to us. AliBi has multiple tattoos on their arms and the leg closest to us. They are also wearing shiny, black pleaser style boots and silver hear earrings. They have feminine style makeup on. The background is dark, there is a light glowing from the seat that they are leaning on.
Mena Paws - Emcee
She’s often cranky and she’s always sweary. She’s the librarian you were scared of when you were 8, but she’s also your favourite Aunty. She sits on the line of being un-PC but actually she has a heart of gold. She’s a proud Gen X-er, but definitely has no time for privileged, ‘Karens’. She’s a body positive 50 something and isn’t afraid to get her kit off. If you tell her age is just a number, she will remind you that you are most likely a fetus and have no idea. She’s Mena Paws.
Image description: This is a head and shoulders shot of Mena Paws. She is a pale skinned woman, she has short grey hair, dark eyes and has heavy drag makeup on. She is wearing large square framed glasses and black and white earrings that say ‘fucking fancy’. She has a red top on and a black and red scarf tied into a large bow, she is also wearing a large, green crocheted brooch. She is looking to the side and pulling a strange scowling face.
Jem
Jem is a new-to-the-scene, old-to-the-craft musician making their way around Canberra reimagining pop songs with a sapphic twist and a thick Aussie accent. Her original music is open, honest, and takes inspiration from Australian indie folk artists.
Image description: Jem is sitting in a darkened room, there is some bright light shining across half their face. She is a pale skinned preson with short, curly brown hair. She also has a septum piercing in her nose. They are wearing what looks like a leather jacket, it has a range of musical note pins near the collar. The top they are wearing under the jacket is too hard to see in the light, she also has a couple of necklaces on. Behind them in the background is a brick wall and what appears to be, black curtains.
Accessibility
Many buildings in Canberra are not accessible. Smith's Alternative is a bit more accessible than most. I will be working with Smith's to make the event just a bit more accessible. As a producer Smith's Alternative is a really good option, as they provide a lot of the support to make each event happen, more than many other venues. This in itself makes it accessible for me to produce a show there. Without this support I wouldn't be able to do it.
A couple of things that help make the venue accessible is that the owners, Nigel and Beth are always around to help out. It is also known to be a safe space for queer folk.
Film Clips
The following is film clips of the venue for purposes of accessibility. Watching these may cause motion sickness for some. Photos coming soon for folks who can't access the film clips. Pardon the shakiness in parts, that's my disability in action.
Entering the venue and the inside of the venue
For performers these films will be of use, however I have a separate clip specifically for you, which I am not going to list here, as it shows backstage area of Smith's Alternative. I can send you a link if you email me.
Smith's Alternative is at ground level, this means mobility aid users can get in the front door. The front door opens inwards. The furniture is able to be moved around, which means we can move it to accommodate our needs. If you are a performer, there is a ramp that goes up onto the stage. To get to the toilets, it requires you to go up and down a few steps at the back of the venue OR you go out the front door to the left and then left again down a ramp which takes you to all the toilets. I am told that not everyone can actually use the disabled toilet, due to the way the door opens and the angles. Some wheelchair users are known to visit a neighbouring venue to go to the toilet.
I don't know if what we plan to do it considered Open Captions. We will be projecting some text onto a film screen. The text will be basic or abbreviated versions of what the Emcee will be saying. It will include the performer introductions.
We will have available a couple of large print copies of show information.
Please do not wear strong smelling perfume or similar products and consider wearing a mask to protect members of the audience and the performers.
Click on 'Map' to be taken to a link with a map of where the venue is.
A section of the map is below. Smith's Alternative is indicated by the red marker.
Photos of Smith's Alternative for accessibility purposes
Entry into the building
This is the entry into Smith's Alternative. There is a small wooden ramp. The door opens inwards.
Image Description: A doorway with brown wooden doors and a big long brass handle. One door is open. The ground on the outside of the doorway is tiled. There is a small wooden ramp leading up to the door opening.
This is just inside the main door entry of Smith's Alternative. To the left is the bar area, to the right is an area with some couches. There is a step up to the area with the couches. The main door to the toilets is at the back of the room. The door/entry into another room is just past this entry to the right. This area can get quite congested just before an event.
Image description: A room with a bar on the left and some furniture on the right. The floor is black and white Lino.
This is the entry to the room where many shows are held. The person who checks peoples tickets, usually stands at a small table to the left of this doorway when you enter.
Image description: A wooden door way. To the right is a wall with lots of posters on it and furniture in front of it. Looking through the doorway, there is a bunch of chairs and a small step up to the left. The stage with a screen down is just visible.
This is an overall view of the main show space, just after you walk through the door. Not quite visible is an area that is slightly raised to the left, with and array of seating and tables. To the right there is also an array of seating, including many couches and soft seating.
Seating can be and is arranged differently depending on what event is being held and how many tickets are sold. If sold out, the seating is usually in rows and fairly jam packed. In the right of this image there is a red ramp.
Image description: A room with an array of different chairs and tables. There is a red bit of floor to the right, this is a gentle ramp going up to the side of the stage. The stage is in the distance, there is a screen hanging down on the stage.
The toilets
Wheel chair users can go up the red ramp and sit facing it. The furniture behind them is usually arranged in rows, all facing the ramp (facing the stage).
Image description: A room with a bunch of chairs on the left, a red ramp to the right of the chairs and further furniture next to the red ramp.
To get to the toilets, you go through the red door in the first room, that the bar is in. This is not accessible to mobility aid users, as there are three steps on the other side of it.
Image description: An image of a room that has a black and white checked Lino floor. There is a wall on the left with some furniture and other furniture and some curtains on the right. In the middle of the photo is a red door with 'toilets' written on it.
To access the disabled toilets, you need to go back out the front door of Smith's Alternative, turn right and there is another building entry that is a couple of sliding glass doors. These open automatically.
Image description: An image of a couple of glass sliding doors. There is some signage written on the left hand side. text: physio, massage, podiatry. There is some signage above the door that is just visible.
After you go through the glass doors you will see a lift right in front of you, to the left of that is a some stairs to the right is a ramp with a red railing. This is where you go to access the disabled (and other) toilets.
Image description: a picture of a ramp. The floor is dark grey and the wall is white, there is a red railing.
As you go down the ramp you will see the men's toilets on the left (there is a couple of steps down to them). At the bottom of the ramp you will see some steps ahead of you, this leads back into Smith's Alternative, to the left is the entry to the disabled toilet and the women's toilets. The door to the disabled toilet opens outwards.
Image description: A photo of a grey door, with white walls around it and a grey floor.
The disabled toilet is quite small and the corners that you need to turn to get into it are also quite narrow. Some people are not able to access it, due to the angles and the size of the toilet.
Image description: A disabled toilet room. The walls are white there is a white toilet on the left hand side of the room. There is a rail that starts behind the toilet and runs around to the left side of the toilet. Just visible is a hand washing basin on the left side of the image.
This is the side wall of the disabled toilet. You can just see the toilet in the bottom right hand side.
Image description: a photo of a toilet /bathroom. There is a white hand basin in the left corner, a rail that is along the wall, a sanitary bin and the edge of the toilet in the right corner.
Outside area
This is the outside area of Smith's Alternative, it is directly in front. There is a step down, and a lot of the furniture is big and heavy. However, a mobility aid user could get in there by moving towards Northbourne Avenue and going 'around'.
Image description: a bunch of outdoor furniture, with some plants in the background, a large column in the right, top corner.
This is to the left hand side of the outdoor area at Smith's Alternative. As you can see it is open, with no barriers, this could be accessible to mobility aid users.
Image description: A large wooden table with bench chairs is in the right side of the photo. In the background there is paved ground and some garden beds and a road in the background.
Parking
The Queer Variety Show is being held on Tuesday nights. Most of the parking at that time will be free (after 5.30pm). The map below shows where there are some parking spots, as indicated by the double white crosses. There are six disability car parks in Mulwala Lane, next to the health centre, across from the back of the coach terminal. Hobart Street car park is close, with about 5 disability parking spaces and there is street parking. The car park that is next to London Circuit, indicated by the pink crosses, has a boom gate and there is a fee at all times.
Performer information
The first four shows are currently full.
If you are interested in performing in the future, please send me an email
Below is some information about how the shows will work from the point of view of performing.
The Queer Variety Show is for queer/LGBTIQA+ and disabled performers. (Disabled used as an umbrella term to cover, neurodivergent folk, chronic illness, mental illness and any other disabilities). We will occasionally have someone who does not fit this description, as we need our allies. I am looking for performers - drag, burlesque, story tellers (this can include a coming out type of story), poets, comedians and musicians (perhaps not a full band set up, we can discuss this). There can be no messy acts - no glitter, confetti, that type of thing and I do not have the capacity to include pole, fire acts or anything that requires extra safety. I am also looking for Emcees. You might also have a good film footage of you performing, we can possibly show films. You can be an experienced performer or a newbie, I'd like a range.
In the first instance, we will be paid by ticket sales at the door, after Smiths take their cut. I will do my best to make sure we sell those tickets. Performers and the Emcee will be paid before anyone else is.
As this show is to platform queer and disabled performers, I will do my best to make this as accessible as possible for you. I also understand that people might be hesitant to apply, in case they have to pull out. I will have things in place to deal with this.
Burlesque and drag type of acts - limit of 5 minutes
Story tellers - can go longer
Musicians - can have up to 15 minutes
Other acts - we can negotiate
There will be no rehearsals for these shows, you need to organise that for yourself. Shows are being held at Smith's Alternative in Civic. (Canberra). There is little backstage room there, so you will need to come along with hair and makeup done and be as ready to perform as possible. This is possibly with the exception of Burlesque performers.
If you would like to see a video tour of the space, let me know and I can send you a link. I am not making this public as it shows some back stage parts of Smith's Alternative that I don't think
Show themes for 2024
Tuesday 18th June - no theme.
Tuesday 20th August - Theme 'Connection'. Connections, like chain links, connection to family, connection to the earth, connection to cheese, connection to your favourite tv show or game. Connection is just the starting point.
Tuesday 29th October - no theme
Tuesday 17th December - theme 'Beliefs'. Do you belief in kindness? Do you believe that pineapple does not belong on pizza? Do you believe in astrology? . Beliefs is just the starting point.