Darlinghurst Theatre Company Announces Program For Sydney WorldPride 2023

Darlinghurst Theatre Company celebrates Sydney WorldPride 2023 with a program that looks beyond the circuit events and dance parties to celebrate and bring joy to all members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Following consultation with Sydney WorldPride creative directors, Daniel Clark and Ben Graetz, DTC Artistic Director Amylia Harris has curated a series of events as part of Pride Amplified, targeting four specific age groups and communities.

In a recent interview with Sydney's City Hub, Harris said, "Darlo has been presenting a work for the Mardi Gras festival for at least 20 years... That's always been part of the core values of the organization. For this particular festival I thought it was really important to honour the location of our venue, the Eternity Playhouse, in what is really the 'Queer Mecca' of Sydney... it's a central area for the queer community and has been for many decades."

In choosing the shows that make up the DTC WorldPride program, Harris was keen to both reflect on the community's roots and history, and to celebrate how far it's come. "It's important to know where we've come from, and to acknowledge the sacrifices of those incredible humans in whose footsteps we tread. After all, we owe our freedom to their activism."

Harris adds, "We need to be able to find joy in their achievements and be optimistic about our future. We owe it not only to them, but also to the younger generations growing up around us. They are far more likely to respond to positivity than trauma stories of the past."

To this end, Harris has invited viral TikTok sensation Rainbow History Class to shine a light on those aspects of LGBTQIA+ history that are often overlooked. Led by queer historians, Rudy Jean Rigg and Hannah McElhinney, the Rainbow History Class: Live Show classroom will look at everything from the origins of Mardi Gras to the reason Alice Springs became a lesbian hotspot, and the time gay slang sent the US military on a wild goose chase.

The Rainbow Tree is another family-friendly offering that provides a culturally safe space for Rainbow families and their allies to bring their children. According to founders Sarah Ward and Bec Matthews (Fat Fruit), The Rainbow Tree is "a metaphor for connection, community and family, those you are born into and those you find along the way. It's a safe haven for all those colours outside the lines."

The centrepiece of DTC's WorldPride program is All the Sex I've Ever Had by Canada's Mammalian Diving Reflex. This taboo-busting tell-all has thrilled audiences from Portland to Prague, Scotland and Singapore. This will be the first all-queer iteration of the show, bringing together six people aged over 65 to speak candidly about their sex lives. They include four 78ers and the iconic 'Troughman', Barry Charles.

Finally, following a critically acclaimed season in Melbourne, Mama Alto and Maude Davey bring Gender Euphoria: Mighty Real to Sydney. In its four-star review, The Age wrote: "Assembling the largest cast of trans and gender-diverse artists in Australian history, Gender Euphoria is a liberating, joyful and poignant celebration of difference."

"It's like a Spiegeltent filled with trans joy," adds Harris.

A stone's throw from Oxford Street, the Eternity Playhouse will stay open throughout WorldPride, with live DJs and a bespoke cocktail list making the theatre's downstairs bar the perfect place to be seen, and to unwind.

DTC presents The Rainbow Tree on 18 - 19 February, All the Sex I've Ever Had on 21 - 26 February, Gender Euphoria: Mighty Real on 1 - 5 March and Rainbow History Class: Live Show on 2 - 4 March.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!