Theatre Outré seeking submissions for 10-year anniversary festival

By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on March 23, 2023.

Theatre Outré photo by Jaime Vedres Performers sneak in a quick rehearsal before heading onstage at the Quaint, Quirky, and Queer Cabaret held in 2020 at the Sterndale Bennett Theatre.

If you are going to celebrate a birthday, it is always a good idea to do it with style.

Lethbridge’s Theatre Outré is gearing up for its 10-year anniversary celebration with its Quaint Quirky and Queer, QQQ, Festival happening April 6 to 22 across the city.

To make sure everyone is in on the celebration, the company is calling for performers to submit a project they would like the present during the QQQ Cabaret on April 15 at the Owl Acoustic Lounge. The flagship event looks to celebrate all that is queer in Lethbridge, giving performers a chance to get up on stage and tell the audience their story.

“Quaint Quirky and Queer is a queer cabaret that was started in Lethbridge, first called Pretty Witty and Gay, in 2004, and it has continued every year since,” said Jay Whitehead, co-founder of Theatre Outré.

“We want anything that is performative. Burlesque, drag, poetry, confessional, we will make room for dance, musical numbers. We find that people want to come see is stories being told. So however you want to share you story is what we want to see. Whether that’s comedic, dramatic, or introspective and thoughtful. We want to see all those things.”

Outré looks to elevate the community with its mandate offering an uncompromising voice to those in its community.

“It is a small festival that we are expanding into a larger festival this year, celebrating LGBTQ+ art and artists,” said Deonie Hudson, Interim Artistic Director for Outré.

“We are specifically looking for queer artists and queer content. A variety of things, whether it is a monologue, poem, song, performance, just anything that really showcases and celebrates the immense talent that is within this community. We are looking for people that have performed before, people that have wanted to perform before, opening our platform, our stage, for anyone and everyone to submit, too.”

Guidelines are open for creativity, however those behind the scenes do ask submissions be tailored to fit within a couple of minutes.

“There is a cap on the time limit of the submissions, keeping it two to five minutes maximum so we can have as many people showcased as possible. Have a clear vision of what you are wanting to present, so that when you submit we will understand what you are aiming for and can find a way to fit it in,” said Hudson.

QQQ looks to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in Lethbridge, giving voices to those who may not otherwise have an opportunity to tell their story.

“We have seen stories that range from romantic, funny, heartbreaking, and emotional. It is just real raw stories of people. (Performers) are coming out with their celebrations of life, and that is really what this is for: an opportunity in a short time with a wonderful group of other artists and a wonderful audience to tell your story,” said Hudson.

Submissions are due April 8 with performances on April 15. Those submitting are asked to include a brief description of their proposed act to theatreoutre.lethbridge@gmail.com with the subject heading “QQQ Cabaret”.

“It has always been a highlight of the year for me. It is kind of like Theatre Outré Christmas,” said Whitehead. “Everybody gathers for a one night only special celebration. We are especially excited that it is our anniversary year too.”

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