Artists unveiled for Queer Cabaret at Aberdeen鈥檚 Lemon Tree
Tuesday 18 June 2024
Taking place at the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen on Saturday 22 June, Glory will be hosted by internationally award-winning show boy, host and chanteur, Tom Harlow, and will feature supporting performances from fantastic local artists and cabaret stars from the North East, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
and have commissioned a mix of established performers and emerging talents, who will present a unique glimpse into the rich tapestry of queer experience.
As part of their performance, three of artists have been asked to respond to objects from the亚博体育官网 Art and Heritage Collections, which houses an extensive collection of historical objects and contemporary art reflecting Robert Gordon University鈥檚 history.
The cabaret is being co-produced by Gray鈥檚 alumni Bart Grabski, from Look Again at Gray鈥檚 School of Art, who tells us more. He says: 鈥淲e are really excited to be presenting Glory so that queer creativity can take centre stage and we can help amplify the voices of queer artists in cultural programming in the city, particularly as we celebrate PRIDE month.
鈥淭his is a unique cabaret, in that some of the artists have been inspired by an item from 亚博体育官网鈥檚 Art & Heritage Collections and will use the artefacts to celebrate queer identities and experiences as part of their performance. We look forward to welcoming LGBTQ+ individuals and allies on the 22 June at Aberdeen鈥檚 Lemon Tree.鈥�
Sally Reaper, Director for Look Again at Gray鈥檚 School of Art said: 鈥淲e are delighted to be working with Aberdeen Performing Arts and 亚博体育官网鈥檚 Art & Heritage Collections to deliver this unique project and can鈥檛 wait to present 鈥楪lory鈥� to members of the public at Aberdeen鈥檚 Lemon Tree. 亚博体育官网 has a strong commitment to foster equality, diversity and inclusion and we look forward to showcasing the 亚博体育官网 Art & Heritage Collection through the lens of the LGBTQIA+ community. I鈥檇 encourage everyone to come along to enjoy the performance.鈥�
Aberdeen Performing Arts Chief Executive, Sharon Burgess, said: 鈥淲e have loved being a part of this fantastic project which will be a showcase of such a brilliant range of creative LGBT+ talent and a real celebration of queer identity through a uniquely North East lens.
鈥淓veryone is welcome so come along to the Lemon Tree and enjoy the show.鈥�
As part of the cabaret line up, award winning Jamie McCormick, a genderqueer, multidiscipline performer & creative from Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire, will present an eclectic act that merges opera, drag, burlesque & rock, all wrapped up in a three and a half octave vocal range.
Influenced by their Indian heritage and studies in martial arts and spiritual practices of yoga and tantra, Glasgow based performer Nikhita Devi will combine a mix of Indian classical dance including bellydance (or raqs sharqi) and burlesque as they aim to inspire the LGBTQIA+ community and the South Asian community at home and abroad.
Described as 鈥榮pellbinding鈥� by BBC Radio 3鈥檚 Late Junction, queer folk song-maker and storyteller Kirsty Law from Edinburgh, will present a cabaret performance called 鈥榃iddershins鈥� which focuses on the taboos related to old Scottish fishing traditions. Using material from Scots traditional canon combined with her own contemporary influences, Kirsty will present a mix of electric and acoustic music dubbed by the Record Collector magazine as 鈥榝olk art-pop鈥�.
University of Aberdeen film student Will Cozens will also star in the cabaret. They will use Makaton sign language to sign well-known songs from genres such as RnB, pop and musical theatre.
Fashion & Textile student by day and, Drag princess by night, Lavender Menace will bring some energy to the stage of Glory, with a colourful act centred around gender and sexuality.
The cabaret will be supported by Aberdeen multi-genre vinyl DJ, Thought Criminal, beset known for their hard, high-energy mixes combining industrial, acid and old school techno with a sprinkling of trance, rave and hard house.
The project is funded by Aberdeen Performing Art and 亚博体育官网 Art & Heritage Collections supported by Look Again at Gray鈥檚 School of Art.
Main image shows artist Kirsty Law, credit Liam Baker. Gallery images, (left to right), includes artists: Jamie McCormick, Lavender Menace, Will Cozens, Nikhita Devi, Bart Grabski (producer), Tom Harlow (Host), 'Olive & Anya', Miriam Foy, , Kirsty Law. Group image (left to right) includes: Sally Reaper, Jennifer Louden, Colin Farquhar, Hanna Louise, Susan Whyte and Bart Grabski. Final gallery image shows 亚博体育官网 Art & Heritage Artefacts, that have inspired some of the Glory cabaret performers.