Gay Manchester

Queer Up North

(2 votes)

Queer Up North is Europe’s most ambitious LGBT festival.

It opens with a world premiere from Sandra Bernhard; it closes with a UK premiere from the Stephen Petronio Company.

In between are two and a half weeks of maverick talent, provocation, glamour, entertainment and art, from French puppets to lesbian pulp, from Bette Bourne to Billy Bragg.

Click here to download the full festival brochure.

Fri 9 May 08
COMEDY/ - ONLY UK PERFORMANCE
Sandra Bernhard kicks off this year's festival with a night to remember, supported by Tina C.

Sat 10 May 08
Queering The Pitch takes over Manchester Academy, with Cherry Ghost, Anat Ben David, Bishi and much much more...

Sat 10 May 08
Horse Meat Disco
The official after party for Queering The Pitch with London's Horse Meat Disco DJs meeting locals Bollox for the first time.

Sat 10 May 08 to Sat 24 May 08
Hector de Gregorio
A radical photographic exploration of desire, pain and religion.

Sat 10 May 08 to Sun 25 May 08
Ajamu
Man-Royal, Whickers and Zami

WORLD PREMIERE
Ajamu unveils his new series of portraits of black, queer female ists.

Sat 10 May 08 to Sun 25 May 08
Edward Carpenter - Poet and Prophet
The story of the pioneering campaigner for homosexual rights.

Sat 10 May 08
BSL Interpretted PerformanceSaturday 10 May 2008, 4.30pm
Queer Question Time
Following last year's sell out event, a new panel of thinkers (including Mark Simpson) the big issues in queer politics.

Sat 10 May 08
Sandra Bernhard
Without You I’m Nothing – The Movie (18)
Sandra Bernhard in conversation with a rare showing of her cult movie.

Sun 11 May 08 to Thu 22 May 08
XXY (15)
A thought-provoking story of identity where the usual confusion of puberty compounded by a secret - that 15 year old Alex is a hermaphrodite.

Sun 11 May 08
BSL Interpretted Performance

Sunday 11 May 2008, 11am
Diana Souhami
Eighty Years of The Well of Loneliness

Diana Souhami discusses Radclyffe Hall's cult classic over breakfast at ABode.

Sun 11 May 08
The Living End (18)
UK premiere of a new, remixed and remastered digital print of Gregg Araki's New Queer Cinema classic.

Sun 11 May 08
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (12A)
Celebrate Bette Davis’ centenary with this classic melodrama, introduced by leading Betteologist Min Shingler.

Mon 12 May 08
B Ruby Rich & Richard Dyer
B Ruby Rich and Richard Dyer look back at key moments in queer cinema, and ahead to new queer work making waves internationally.

Tue 13 May 08
Gregory Woods, John Gallas, and David Kinloch
Three of Carcanet's finest queer poets assemble in the elegant surroundings of the Portico Library.

Wed 14 May 08 to Sat 17 May 08
Ridiculusmus - Tough time, nice time
A compelling new show from the cult theatre innovators weaving movies, sex, celebrity and genocide.

Thu 15 May 08
Patricia Duncker & Kaye Mitchell
Lesbian Pulp Fiction
Join Patricia Duncker and Kaye Mitchell from for an eye-opening exploration of the sensational twilight world of lesbian pulp fiction.

Thu 15 May 08
Steve O'Connor and Dominic Berry - Freed Up Poets
Join Steve O’Connor and Dominic Berry for the friendliest open mic in town.

Fri 16 May 08
Othon Matharagas and Ernesto Tomasini perform their stlingly beautiful falsetto songs, skirting the frontiers of opera, punk and vaudeville.

Fri 16 May 08
Otto; or Up With Dead People (18)
A special midnight showing of the new by the legendary Bruce LaBruce.

Fri 16 May 08
Savage Grace (Cert TBA) - Tom Kalin’s SWOON was a key of New Queer Cinema. This second feature starring Julianne Moore also explores an infamous true crime through a queer prism.

Sat 17 May 08
Spider Lilies (Cert TBA)
Webgirl Jade's interest in a picular tattoo, designed by gentle ist Takeko, is the catalyst for change in both women's lives.

Sat 17 May 08
East / West (Cert TBA)
This fascinating documentary insight into the attempts to mount a Gay Pride march in Moscow takes us into the lives of the organisers and uncovers a surprising range of gay life.

Sat 17 May 08
Jackie Kay - Literary Lunch
Join Jackie Kay for lunch and exclusive extracts of her new work at ABode.

Sat 17 May 08
BSL Interpretted PerformanceSaturday 17 May 2008, 4pm
Identity Crisis?
Julian Baggini joins Linda Bellos, Johann Hari and Billy Bragg, to the issues surrounding identity.

Sat 17 May 08
Ivo Dimchev - Lili Handel
The tragic story of ageing diva Lili Handel’s fading beauty is brought to life by provocative Bulgarian ist Ivo Dimchev.

Sat 17 May 08
Marisa Carnesky - Magic War
Enter Marisa Carnesky's strange and spectacular world of illusions.

Sat 17 May 08
Brenda
Avant garde bing & performance featuring Marisa Carnesky, Magic Arm, Hooker, Dirty Honky, Zsa Zsa Noir and much more...

Sun 18 May 08
Television Ate My Family - The Story of Lance Loud
The unique story of the world's first reality TV star, Lance Loud.

Sun 18 May 08
Paul Bailey makes his first visit to Queer Up North and gives an exclusive preview of his new novel.

Sun 18 May 08
Bitch
A rare UK performance from multi-talented US performer, Bitch.

Mon 19 May 08
Angel (15)
A sumptuous feast of period camp in his tale of the rise and fall of a romantic novelist in the early 20th century.

Mon 19 May 08 to Sat 24 May 08
David Hoyle
Transparent
David Hoyle and a team of young people create a unique installation in the he of Contact during Queer Up North.

Tue 20 May 08
Triple X Selects - The Best of Lezsploitation (18)
Culled from over 20 Lezsploitation s shot in Europe, North and South America, and accented with and 'scientific' commentary from the era.

Tue 20 May 08 to Sat 24 May 08
Bette Bourne Company
A brand new play starring Bette Bourne that brings the seamy world of 1950s Hollywood to vivid life.

Wed 21 May 08
Derek (15)
A treasure trove of interviews, archive footage about the late, great Derek Jarman.

Wed 21 May 08
The Beirut Apment (Plus 7 Years)
A snapshot of the amazing spectrum of queer life in urban Lebanon.

Wed 21 May 08
Gisele Vienne and Dennis Cooper
Jerk
UK premiere of the new adaptation of the Dennis Cooper cult novel.

Thu 22 May 08
Viva (18)
Bored with her workaholic husband and suburban lifestyle, precocious negligee-clad housewife Barbi goes in search of adventure.

Thu 22 May 08
Stephen Duffy and his Trio
Most Gentlemen Don't Like Love
One of Scotland's most accomplished jazz singers and pianists, Stephen Duffy brings his swing band to Queer Up North.

Fri 23 May 08
Russell Barr
Lobster (revised reading)
A rehearsed reading of the new play in development for Queer Up North by award-winning playwright & performer Russell Barr.

Fri 23 May 08 to Sat 24 May 08
Justin Bond
May Queen: a Vernal She-Quinox
with Taylor Mac & Special Guests
A heady mix of glamour, cabaret, and sexy provocation starring Justin Bond (Kiki & Herb) with Taylor Mac, Jonny Woo & David Hoyle.

Sat 24 May 08
Is 'Queer Culture' Obsolete?
Mark Simpson makes the case against queer culture against a panel including Justin Bond, Taylor Mac, Jonathan Best, Dr.Monica Pearl & Natalie Wilson.

Sat 24 May 08
Augusten Burroughs
Augusten Burroughs makes his Queer Up North debut.

Sat 24 May 08
The Queer Up North Archive
An exhbition to mark the opening of Queer Up North's archive featuring materials from the past sixteen years of the organisation.

Sun 25 May 08
Tom Allen
Sunday Breakfast
Join outrageous storyteller-comedian Tom Allen for an absurdly entertaining Sunday breakfast at ABode.

Sun 25 May 08     Stephen Petronio Company
Featuring specially commissioned by Rufus Wainwright and Fischerspooner, and songs by Antony & The Johnsons and Lou Reed.