Image: Supplied
By HOPE PRATT
For the exciting new 2024 Qtopia Pride Fest, Up Your Bum, No Babies (Remembering Stories From The Gay Ghetto) is making its world premiere at The Substation in June.
Featuring a blend of memoir, poetry, and history, the performance melds the humourous with the personal, as Actor Matt Young and Director Dan Graham offer a reflection on “the bad old days” of the 90’s gay scene up until now.
The story has been 10 years in the making and draws on Young’s own experiences as a gay man, seeking to find identity and community in the shared experiences of LGBTQIA+ people.
Young is an American-born Australian LGBTQIA+ performer, writer, and creator living in regional Queensland. He has worked extensively in commercial theatre both in Australia and the US and has been involved in the independent Sydney scene.
Graham has worked as a theatre director and disability advocate in Australia and overseas. He has collaborated with Bell Shakespeare, Sydney Festival, Sydney Fringe, Antipode Theatre Company and the Ensemble Theatre. Graham has recently collaborated internationally with the Atlantic Theatre Company and Pasadena Playhouse in the US, and The Globe Theatre in the UK.
Young has spoken on the upcoming performance, saying: “I’ve delved into the recesses of my mind to retell stories of the denizens of my gay existence, whilst exploring our collective past, from the handkerchief code to Polari — things every gay male should know about.”
“Close your eyes and click your heels together three times. Come remember the stories of our collective gay experience.”
Expect to laugh, cry, and become properly educated with this deeply personal and hilarious play written specifically for Sydney’s Qtopia Pride Fest.
Get your tickets here.
When: 18 – 22 June, 2024
Where: The Substation Theatre, Taylor Square Darlinghurst
I’m so happy for Matt to be sharing his stories and showing the community how life can be. He is a talented actor and a beautiful person. I would recommend everyone to get a seat.