Queer Contact will return in just a few weeks, featuring legendary writer Russell T Davies, It’s A Sin actor Nathaniel Hall, interactive cabaret and more.
The online celebration of Mancunian queerness and beyond was originally planned for February but delayed due to Covid-19.
Queer Contact began more than a decade ago, becoming a staple of Manchester’s queer arts scene, which the annual Vogue Ball becoming a huge draw. In February 2020, Vogue Ball was the list event to be produced by Contact prior to the enforced shutdown.
Highlights of the event include a conversation with writer Russell T Davies (It’s A Sin, Queer as Folk and Doctor Who, pictured above) and It’s a Sin Actor Nathaniel Hall. Nathaniel has already made waves in recent month around his activism on HIV, and together he and Davies will be discussing portrayals of HIV and AIDS on stage and screen.
With the Vogue Ball unable to take place in physical format, the party will move online. Cheddar Gorgeous, star of Channel 4’s Drag SOS, will be hosting an interactive cabaret featuring a diverse range of acts and faces, followed by a party with Manchester-based DJ collective RebeccaNeverBecky. Meanwhile author Dean Atta, named as one of the most influential LGBT people in the UK by the Independent on Sunday, will be reading from and discussing his Stonewall Book Award-winning debut novel Black Flamingo.
Several films by young, queer Manchester-based artists will premiere during the festival, each exploring different elements of queer identity. Meanwhile, writer, poet and performer Ella Otomewo will be hosting a spoken word event, and musician Deanz will chat to vogue performer Oskar Marchock about queering dance hall music.
Speaking about the event, Contact’s President Car Austin-Behan, formerly Manchester’s first openly gay Lord Mayor and current LGBTQ+ advisor to the Mayor of Manchester said, “Queer Contact is an annual arts and culture celebration that promotes and highlights the creativity and expression of LGBTQ+ artists from across the world, and reflects the rich and honest diversity of our community. Obviously due to Covid-19, Queer Contact 2021 will be online, but I am really excited about the programme of events taking place, and that tickets have already been selling fast for Russell T Davies in Conversation with Nathaniel Hall.”
When does Queer Contact take place?
Queer Contact 2021 runs from 29 April to 1 May 2021.
More details about Queer Contact 2021 are available at the Contact Theatre website.
