Queer Fest 2025 is a joyful, defiant celebration of LGBTQIA+ voices, identities and artistry, taking place at Oxford Playhouse with a week of bold performances, workshops, and community engagement from Monday 16 to Saturday 21 June.
From explosive solo shows and queer comedies to deeply personal explorations of identity and history, the LGBTQIA+ focused festival promises a week of unforgettable performances, presented in partnership with Pegasus Theatre.
And there’s the chance to take part in Gary Clarke Company‘s new theatrical production DETENTION at Oxford Playhouse this autumn, which is looking for members of the local LGBTQIA+ community, aged 40+, to join their exceptional cast, by taking part in a taster session on the Playhouse Main Stage, offering potential participants a chance to learn more about the role and try out ideas.
The eagerly anticipated dance theatre show explores the controversial Section 28, and the devastating impact it had on LGBTQIA+ communities nationwide. To start the week, choreographer Gary Clarke will lead a taster session on the Main Stage, offering potential participants a chance to learn more about the role and try out ideas.
The company will also host a community roadshow, providing rare insight into the show’s development – sharing Clarke’s research, source material, and creating a space for personal stories and reflections on the now largely hidden piece of legislation.
The hugely popular Scratch Night also returns to open the run of queer new writing in the Burton Taylor Studio – an electrifying evening where the audience can experience extracts of work by emerging LGBTQIA+ artists – live, on stage for the very first time.
They include Spin Cycle, where two ex-lovers unknowingly reconnect in a launderette, revealing forgotten love through absurd, bittersweet twists. Kieran the Estate Agent is a sharp, comic portrait of a desperate salesman spiralling out of control, while La Vie En Rose introduces Liza Bien, a flamboyant embodiment of lesbian history and seduction.
The Porter reimagines 1605 Oxford in this queer coming-of-age comedy, poking fun at modern-day attitudes towards gender, class and race, while Jennie and the Cockroach sees a trans woman cling to legacy as the world ends. Bold, funny, and moving. So get in now to see queer theatre at its freshest.
Other stand-alone shows include Kathrine Payne’s surreal and darkly funny exploration of queer relationships gone bad, plewds. Direct from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and winner of Summerhall’s Mary Dick Award, the show blends clowning and drag to showcase a subversive take on the trauma in this solo show.
Oxford-based theatre company Everybody Panic returns to Queer Fest with All of Them, Dead, in development with Pegasus Theatre and supported by Arts Council England. The work-in-progress will offer audiences an early glimpse into this bold new production at Pegasus.
The Freak then closes the week of performances at the Burton Taylor Studio, a rehearsed reading following performer Kit. A sprawling mass of explosive queer chaos, they/them face a choice: change their ways to live a healthier life or continue as they are and risk losing everything. While the decision seems simple, the world around them refuses to make it easy. Another highly dramatic and exciting piece to round off a dazzling festival.
Mike Tweddle, Artistic Director and CEO of Oxford Playhouse, says: “We’re thrilled to announce this lineup of new work from some of the UK’s most exciting queer voices, and many local ones too. At Oxford Playhouse, we strive to be a supportive platform and champion of LGBTQIA+ artists and stories and at Queer Fest 2025 there is something for every adventurous mind, with opportunities to participate, explore and learn with these artists, as well as to watch their work.”
Queer Fest takes place at Oxford Playhouse, Burton Taylor Studio and Pegasus Theatre from Monday 16 to Saturday 21 June.. Tickets for Queer Fest are now on sale. The full programme of events can be found at https://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/whats-on
