Founded in 2014, Queerly is FRIGID’s annual celebration of all things artistic and LGBTQIA2S+. Queerly strives for diversity on and off stage, seeking out queer teams and artists of all kinds as well as a wide range of shows and performances. Our goal is to provide a space for queer artists who’ve rarely or never seen their identities portrayed on stage to be able to represent themselves and tell their stories their way, as well as to provide a space for queer celebration, pride, and strength. Queerly was started by Erez Ziv and then curated by Kevin R. Free for many years. It is now curated by FRIGID co artistic director Jimmy Lovett, a trans, non-binary, bisexual maker and theater artist.
Queerly is a place for self-representation, for telling the stories we want to tell, and for sharing our work with our community and beyond. Regardless of how a piece makes us feel, there is joy in artistic creation and, as we raise our heads in defiance of those who would dehumanize us, queer joy is an act of rebellion. Queerly is a place for that rebellion. In light of the barrage of anti-trans legislation across the country, we are prioritizing work by or featuring trans artists, and amplifying trans voices, trans joy, and trans rebellion, as well as work that speaks to queer resilience past, present, and future.
The theme for this year’s festival is “Then, Now, and Always.” With this theme, we are creating a line-up of work that speaks to the ways queerness has thrived and will continue to thrive across time. This may look like queering mythology, historical fiction, science fictional, biography-based work, storytelling, queer futurism, and more. The theme is not meant to be restrictive, but rather to offer a guide post to our artists and to build an energy of queer joy, power, and perseverance. We can’t wait to share this year’s show with you!
