FRIGID New York Reveals Performance Schedule For 2025 Queerly Festival
The festival will run from June 12-July 3 at UNDER St. Marks.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz May. 12, 2025
FRIGID New York will present the 11th annual Queerly Festival at UNDER St. Marks from June 12-July 3. Many performances will also be available to livestream from home.
This year Queerly is presenting shows that celebrate queer/LGBTQIA2S+ resilience, power, determination, persistence, and resistance. They'll be presenting plays about the history of the queer liberation movement, aggressively non-binary burlesque, stories of thriving in a world that rejects us, and a flagrant disregard of cis-het norms. This year, Queerly will be presenting a Queer Revolution of joy, rage, strength, exhaustion, and art.
Femme In Yellow Tombola: mystical queer italian bingo
Written and Performed by Summer Minerva - Brooklyn, NY
As a queer and trans Italian American, Summer Minerva retraced her queerness and her Italianness back to her grandmother's southern Italian land, where she discovered the presence of a 3rd gender figure known as a femminiello, a revered figure in Neapolitan folk culture with its origins in pre-Christian goddess worship. In this multi-medium performance, Summer embodies a femminiello, in one of their most important societal roles: mystical caller of Italian bingo. With each number that the femminiello calls at random, a different theatrical experience ensues. A folk dance? A heartwarming story? A competition for best spinster? There may even be a wedding... Femme In Yellow comes on the heels of Summer's sold out NYC Premiere of her award-winning feature documentary Summer Within.
Thu June 12 at 7pm & Sat June 28 at 5pm, Streaming
Poster Boys
Written by Leo Layla Díaz, Director Hannah Marie Penderson - New Jersey
Tune into Poster Boys! The hit reality show where transmasc contestants compete for the coveted prize of an immediate legal gender and name change on all documents - passport, birth certificate, even library card. The contestants go through challenges, presenting their lives and memories to convince the audience to vote for them, exploring the connections and conflicts across the vast trans community, and the dangers of selling out for cisgender approval in this satirical dark comedy from playwright Leo Layla Díaz and director Hannah Marie Pederson. Thu June 12 at 9pm & Sun June 15 at 7pm, Streaming
Mary & The Shelleys
Written by Alex Moon - New York, NY
Mary & The Shelleys is a Trans-Punk Horror Extravaganza with music inspired by Blondie, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cramps, The Misfits, The Cure, Mazzy Star, and many more.
Mary (Transfemme, monster) wakes up in a strange Texas laboratory horrified by her stitched-up, sutured visage (as everyone else who lays eyes on her). Wandering/chased from town to town, Mary looks for answers about who she is until she's taken in by Igor, the proprietor of a "monster bar." There, she's swept off her feet by a suave Transmasc vampire with a thirst for blood and adrenaline. The two raise hell , but Mary soon wonders if Byron is sucking her dry of all passion, curiosity, and sense of self-discovery. This show is BY Trans folks, FOR Trans folks, embracing ALL. Mary & The Shelleys roars to life while offering viewers safe haven, a call to arms, a relentless self-love in the face of bitter hate, and a celebration of the weird, the strange, the Queer. Fri June 13 at 9:15pm & Sat June 28 at 9pm
Calvin S. Cato: Disney Single
Written & bPerformed by Calvin S Cato - Brooklyn, NY
Calvin S. Cato (Netflix, Vice Media, WIRED Magazine) has gone on a lot of dates, but wonders "Is it all worth it?" He'll explore the answer with an hour of comedy, music, and salacious stories that span from painfully virginal to dangerously lusty. With Leslie Goshko (New York Times, Tru TV, NPR) on piano punctuating these humorous overshares, you'll leave the show laughing and feeling better about your life choices.
Sun June 15 at 5pm, Streaming
A Spanglish Affair Open Mic
Produced by Something from Abroad - New York, NY
June's theme? "Daddy Issues" We are excited to provide a safe space for artists to explore and share their art in front of a live audience. If there's something you've always wanted to do, this is a space for you to do it! While our company focuses on Spanish and Spanglish content, this is not a requirement for your piece, so if you're someone with art to share, this space is for you. Here are some ideas for types of performers we're looking for: singers, dancers, comedians, performance art, burlesque, act, visual artists, clowning, spoken word, poetry. THE SKY IS THE LIMIT! Mon June 16 at 6pm
The Gay Social Network - A One Woman Show
Written & Performed by Seerat Jhajj - Brooklyn, NY
Rife with jealousy, betrayal and most importantly, yearning, The Gay Social Network is a scathing review of the current state of affairs as told from the perspective of one woman pretending to be two gay boys. Everyone who watched The Social Network could tell Mark and Eduardo were in love with each other. While David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin shied away from the homo eroticism that was palpable to the viewers, this show will not. Justin Timberlake will make an appearance too! And yes of course, there will be SONG AND DANCE!
Wed June 18 at 7pm
SEX GODDESS
Written and Performed by Riel Reddick-Stevens
Produced by House and Body - Toronto, Canada
Join pop star Rayna at the listening party for her new album SEX GODDESS. Performed and written by award winning composer, Riel Reddick-Stevens, produced by House and Body; SEX GODDESS is a solo theatrical mixtape that follows Rayna, an emerging singer at the listening party for her new album. While sharing her album, Rayna takes her audience on the journey of one long, wild night that changed her career and perspective forever. SEX GODDESS uses Hip Hop/ R&B music, comedy and heightened storytelling to explore the relationships between power, bodily autonomy and sense of self in a patriarchal world and business.
Thu June 19 at 7pm, Fri June 20 at 9pm & Sat June 21 at 11pm
Drag History Hour
Written by Bertha Vanayshun - Brooklyn, CO
Drag History Hour presents a special set of performances for the 2025 Queerly festival! Taking you through a queer journey inside the undertold history of the Harlem Renaissance, join host Bertha Vanayshun and her fabulous cast for a historical and fantastic night!
Fri June 20 at 7pm, Streaming
GxDLY
Written by Daddy Doyenne
Presented by The Kinky Kafe LLC - Rochester, NY
A night of dynamic performance featuring transgender and non-binary artists reclaiming their divinity and telling their stories of power, magic, sexual reclamation and resilience. Witness the divine in every form as these celestial beings take the stage. Join The Kinky Kafe for a celebration of Godliness beyond the binary.
Fri June 20 at 11pm & Sat June 21 at 5pm
Disko Boy
Written by Sheila Klein and Masha Mikulinsky
Presented by Amuse Bouche Company - Denver, CO
A ski-ballet champion survives the collapse of the Berlin Wall but will he ever love again? An elder queer sits you down in the park to talk betrayal, authoritarianism, and being transformed by Celine Dion. Experimental theater, drag, and modern dance collide in a no-holds-barred extravaganza of earnestness and awkwardness.
Sat June 21 at 7pm & Sun June 22 at 5pm, Streaming
Boy Meets Girl (or The Trials & Tribulations of a Queer Man Living Under A Curse)
Written by Chetan Rao and Nalini Sharma
Presented by Boundless Theater - New York, NY
This unique and dynamic autobiographical coming-of-rage show by Chetan Rao and Nalini Sharma is a life-affirming, irresistibly funny, and profoundly moving story chronicling the journey of self-discovery of an Indian American Drag queer performer living in NYC, struggling to find peace with his roots, his identity, and his desire for love and success. The play pays homage to the "boy-meets-girl" Bollywood tradition by reenacting popular pieces in the form of drag acts, as Chetan undergoes a figurative and literal transformation to shake off the "curse" and finally meet his true self.
Sat June 21 at 9pm, Streaming
Reality Check
Written by Sayali Gove - New York, NY
When tasked with creating an AI that can control people's behavior, a narcissistic programmer starts to doubt the consciousness of others. Meanwhile, his trans sister doubts her own consciousness in a world that rejects her. Reality Check is their struggle to reconnect with each other - and with their own humanity - before they accidentally start an AI apocalypse.
Sun June 22 at 7pm, Streaming
Beneath The Surface
Written by Bailey C Lewis - Brooklyn, NY
History Repeats. That's a phrase Everett Hart from The Force of the 19th precinct knows well. His boss has driven it home that history repeats, which includes some "rebellion" that needs to be squashed. He also knows well from his time in the reformatory as a child that it can and will be squashed. He was showing signs of "gender betrayal", better to nip it in the bud and be done with it. When Everett is sent to investigate a site suspected of illegal "indecent" activity, he discovers The Underground- a secret haven for the queer folks who refuse to suppress themselves. After befriending Monet, a genderless drag performer, and their partners, Everett is forced to confront the truth: you can't get rid of who people are, despite rewriting history books. Even more so, he may not have been "cured" of his "gender betrayal" after all.
Mon June 23 at 7pm, Streaming
Paper Kraine
Paper Kraine was created in 2016 to bring together works in development, artists, and audiences in support of nonprofits. Monthly, the PK team curates a new works sample platter around a theme and donates all proceeds to a selected nonprofit.Try something new, delicious and strange. Come for the art. Stay for the community. We encourage risk-taking, question-asking, and the development of a supportive community of artists seeing, encouraging, and challenging each other's work with the ultimate goal of enriching the artistic community through cross-pollination and meeting new people.
Wed June 25 at 7:30pm, Streaming
Gay Cowboys
Written by Ciara Hannon
11th Hour Productions - Orlando, FL
From the cursed state of Florida, 11th Hour Productions Presents the Winner of BEST LGBT SHOW and BEST LGBT DIRECTOR at the Orlando Fringe Festival. GAY COWBOYS. Sweetwater used to be a quiet town full of simple folks. That all ended the day the Midnight Mangler strolled into town bringing about chaos with scheming and lies. With a twist of fate, Fancy shows up ready to save the town from the hands of the dreadful Midnight Mangler.
Thu June 26 & Fri June 27 at 7pm, Streaming
Frigid Nighcap
Welcome to Anarchoqueeria-where laws are made to be glitter-bombed, and the only ruling principle is radical liberation. In this special Pride edition of FRIGID Nightcap, NYC's weirdest late-night variety show unleashes a night of maximalist queer performance where anything can happen. Comedy, drag, burlesque, music, movement, poetry, performance art, things that defy classification...you never know what to expect at FRIGID Nightcap, but you can be sure you'll experience glamour and garbage...velvet and violence...lace and leather...protest chants and primal screams... This is not utopia. This is Anarchoqueeria: a dream of queer defiance, excess, and power. A fantasia where the absurd becomes sacred and the sacred gets a baseball bat to the face. Scared? You should be. Excited? Even better. Ready? Grab your cocktail, Molotov or otherwise. Let's get unruly.
Fri June 27 at 10:30pm, Streaming
Glitter Uprising: A Deliciously Disobedient Queer Revue
Written by Holli Hemlock - Brooklyn, CO
When the world tries to dim your shine, covering yourself in glitter becomes an act of revolution. Join us for a spectacularly subversive burlesque experience that redefines the art form through a distinctly queer lens. "Glitter Uprising" features a diverse cast of performers who shimmy, shake, and strip away conventions while celebrating the radical joy of queer bodies in all their forms. This is a joyful rebellion where every removal of clothing is an act of queer defiance, every sparkle a statement of resistance. Our performers will take you on a journey through euphoria and empowerment as they reclaim the stage with acts that are both tantalizing and transformative. From glittering pasties to powerful political statements, from sensual stripteases to radical reimaginings of gender performance, "Glitter Uprising" offers a deliciously disobedient night of entertainment that challenges expectations while celebrating the beauty of queer expression. In a world that constantly tries to make us palatable, we choose to be gloriously, unapologetically ourselves. Come witness the revolution-it will be sequined, it will be spectacular, and it will absolutely change the way you think about burlesque. Resistance has never looked so fabulous. Content note: Contains partial nudity, explicit celebration of queer and trans bodies, and absolutely zero apologies.
Mon June 30 at 7pm, Streaming
Clay Mommy
Written by Aviva Pearl Creation - Queens, NY
Clay Mommy follows the journey of a young trans girl who leaves sex work, returns home to her estranged mother, unexpectedly becomes a parent, and seeks guidance by trapping her deceased grandmother's soul in a sculpture.
Tue July 1 at 6:45pm & Wed July 2 at 9:30pm, Streaming
Loud & With Feeling
Written by Spencer Joshua Vigil - New York, NY
Loud & With Feeling is a musical based on a true-to-life experience about a group of Queer students in the first 24 hours of their sit-in protest. Their quest to fight for LGBTQ+ rights at their Private Christian University is stifled after their favorite professor is fired! Throughout the night, the group uncovers a lot of their own personal histories as they search for belonging, connection, and a collective future. With a pop punk-synth score and resemblances to shows like Rent, Fun Home, and Elizabeth Swado's Runaways. Loud & With Feeling showcases the Joy, Triumph, and Community that everyone longs to be a part of.
This show is bilingual in English and ASL and presented with ASL interpretation.
Thu July 3 at 7pm, Streaming
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