Queer Fun - an ivory-tower vaudeville

Duckie and Queen Mary University of London invite you to an afternoon of chin-scratching and high-kicking, during which having fun is to be taken very, very seriously indeed.

Join performers, researchers and punters for a half-day event, programmed by Ben Walters, exploring whether some forms of enjoyment can be considered properly queer and how they might shape the world.

If that sounds like your idea of fun.

What is Queer Fun?

Fun is important. Fun does things. Fun builds muscles. Fun offers a window into potential futures – including queer futures. Fun is at the heart of what Duckie does. But fun don’t get no respect, from society or the academy. This half-day event hopes to help change that.

Queer Fun is an offshoot of doctoral research that Ben Walters is doing about Duckie’s work with marginalised people and hidden queer histories. Ben is exploring whether there are particular kinds of fun that count as ‘queer’. Maybe they celebrate non-mainstream sexuality or gender identity. Maybe they provide relief from the pressure to be normal – or help shape resistance against that pressure. Maybe they offer a playground where better futures are rehearsed. Maybe they do something else.

At this event, artists, performers, researchers and others give eight-minute talks or turns that express what queer fun means to them. Each is based around an object – or perhaps an image, a sound, a gesture, a taste or a smell – and they are showcased in a format loosely based on the award-winning, globe-trotting show C'est Duckie!

It all happens at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, on a spot where queer fun has been had for centuries. And it’s on a Saturday afternoon so you can get dinner afterwards then come to Duckie to drink and dance and see some more turns in the same spirit.

What if I want to give a talk or do a turn?

Let us know! Send an email to queerfun1@gmail.com giving a sense of how you would fill eight minutes. What is the object (or image, sound, gesture, taste or smell) you will bring with you? What does it express about queer fun? How does it relate to the wider world? Will you talk about it, give a performance, create a space, lead an activity…?

We’re keen to hear from everyone, especially younger people, older people, people of colour, people with disabilities and people without much formal education. And we’re open to ideas other than the eight-minute object-based format.

Send up to 150 words on your idea, or a one-minute video, to queerfun1@gmail.com by 6pm on April 14th 2017. Tell us a bit about yourself too, and any technical requirements involved. We’ll let you know by April 21 if you’re in. Successful applicants who are not salaried to produce this kind of work will get a £200 fee. Technical support will be provided for everyone. No PowerPoint presentations.

Brainy folk can click here for this to be described in more complicated language.

What if I want to come and watch?

It costs £10, which includes entry into that night’s Duckie if you fancy it. If tickets are sold out and you’d like to be added to the waiting list, tell us at queerfun1@gmail.com.

What if I want to come but I’m broke?

You can drop an email to queerfun1@gmail.com with a quick note about why you’re interested in the event and we’ll try to sort you out.