Welcome back to the Queer Arts Calendar, our awesome round up of great Twin Cities arts events being produced, performed, or otherwise directly created by or of interest to LGBTQ+ artists and audiences in the Twin Cities. September sees the queer arts community back in the swing of things after Fringe frenzy died down. Here’s a ton of radical art for your September friend dates, date dates, or self-dates.

Theatre & Film

Ballast by Georgette Kelly technically started in August (the 25th) but will be running through September 8th at Mixed Blood Theater. Tickets and more information about this highly anticipated event are available here.

Kicking off September right, The Uptown Theater is featuring cult lesbian film But I’m a Cheerleader as part of their Midnight Madness series on the 1st. Tickets are just $9 and you can grab yours here.

If you, like me, are a sucker for silly comedies about serious things, you’re going to be just as excited for the remount of Savage Umbrella’s Ex-Gays as I am. This, ahem, campy look at a gay conversion camp was a big hit the company’s first go round. Now they’re back with Ex-Gays: Not a Str8 Remount at Springhouse Ministry Center starting September 14th. Find out more and snag your tickets here.

Visual  & Literary Arts

Rachel Gold and Catherine Lundoff are two fantastic queer novelists living in Minnesota; they’re also hosting “an evening of reading, book signing, and shenanigans” at Boneshaker Books on September 15th, also known as Queer Your Reading With Rachel Gold and Catherine Lundoff. Check out Boneshaker’s website for more info.

Don’t miss a rare chance to see Quatrefoil founder Dick Hewetson speak on Monday, September 11th at 7:00 P.M. Hewetson will be discussing his life, including his inspiration and process getting Quatrefoil up and running. The event is free and open to the public.

If you missed the first Mother Goose’s Bedtime Stories at Seward Cafe but heard marvelous things, well, never fear! They are back at Seward for round two on September 17th at 7:30. Tickets are a suggested $5-10 donation. More information available here.

We’re ending September on a strong a note as we’re finishing it, arts wise, and a lot of that is thanks to the hard work and diligence of the organizers of the Twin Cities Zine Fest. Hosted at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, this event on September 30th celebrates the best, brightest, and often queerest that our prolific zine community has to offer while also providing community workshops so you can learn to make and market your own zines.

Music & Comedy

Powderhorn Park, long known as the gayborhood for less pristine queer residents than the other well-known gayborhood in town, is a hidden cornucopia of music, art, and community. To celebrate that there’s the annual Powderhorn Porchfest, a musical extravaganza and artisan sale that goes house to house. Event is free, on September 23rd, and you can find out more on their Facebook event.

Tuesday, September 26th Gadfly Theatre Productions’ runaway hit Drunk Queer History is back (and now at Lush!)with storyteller Lisa Marie Brimmer and two amazing queer improvisers. Tickets and info available at Lush’s website.

Drag, Burlesque, and Cabaret

The Kitty Kat Club is always up for a good, queer time and this September 2nd you can catch lots of queer music, some comedy, a touch of drag, and some stimulating visual art for In the Mix. The show is at 9:00 P.M. And is just $5 t the door.

Wednesday, September 6th sees the second installment of Exposition, curated by Marcel Michelle-Mobama and presented via 20% Theatre Company hit the Mixed Blood Theater stage. The show is at 7:30 P.M., features primarily drag and music with some other fun surprises thrown in, and has sliding scale tickets available here.

Taboo Tongues by Patrick’s Cabaret takes a multi-cultural look at what shapes taboos across cultures and asks how can we uncover our social prohibitions. Curated by Judoka Pop this show features spoken word artists and House of Larva Drag Cooperative for an inventive, original cabaret. The show only goes up on September 8th & 9th, so don’t miss your chance for tickets now.

Whether you love drag, fashion, or fads, Flip Phone and Fashion Week Minnesota have you covered with Fad Rooftop Dance Party + Drag Show featuring fan favorite Kim Chi from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Flip Phone’s events tend to sell out fast, especially when there’s an out of towner coming to play, so grab your tickets quick here.

A rare event at Lush for the 16+ crowd, SlutWalk Twin Cities is throwing their third annual Diversity Ball featuring artists who are POC, disabled, queer, and so much more. The show is at 6:00 P.M. On September 17th, and tickets are just $5 at the door.

Also raising money this month is Uprising Theatre Company, a social justice minded theatre organization that pairs art and advocacy. Their benefit Shine On will feature guest performances and a sneak peek of their next show. The event is Monday, September 18th, 7:00 P.M. at Honey.

Thursday, September 21st sees the return of the beloved Dykes Do Drag at Bryant Lake Bowl. This event runs through the 23rd, all shows at 10:00 P.M. See their ticket page on BLB’s website for more info.

Recurring Events

Huge Theater has an open Queer Improv Jam for queer improv artists to come and laugh and play together on the first Sunday of the month at 5:00 P.M. No need to register, just come to 3037 Lyndale Ave S. to jam with great professional and amateur improv-ers. No cover.

Every Thursday night Can Can Wonderland puts together a variety show like none other. Six to eight acts share Can Can’s stage. Local LGBTQ+ talent and those known to the community for legitimate allyship often feature. The event is free, 21+, and starts at 9:00 P.M.

The second Thursday of the night is a special time in comedy here in the Twin Cities. Pssy Ctrl is an all female & queer comedy event happening at the Comedy Corner Underground. It’s hosted by Rana May and Shelley Paul and is just $7 unless you’re a student—then it’s free. No reservations, just show up!

Telling Queer History is a story-telling and community building event that happens on the second Sunday of every month and changes locations. Check out their Facebook page for more information and to keep up with their rotating spaces.

Another amazing storytelling event is curated and hosted by the one and only Andrea Jenkins and John Medeiros. It’s called Queer Voices: A Reading Series and takes place monthly with amazing features each month. Intermedia Arts’ website has more.

Lush’s entire nightlife entertainment line-up is incredible. Must sees include:

 

• Black Hearts Burlesque every Friday night at 10:00 P.M. featuring Black Hearts Founder Elektra Cute.

• #DragRevolution every Saturday at 10:00 P.M. hosted by Twin Cities legend Victoria DeVille.

• • Deviance: A Transmasculine Cabaret featuring music, drag, boylesque and more every fourth Saturday at 7:00 P.M.

 

• Local lesbian comedy darling Sarah McPeck’s variety show The Big Fat Comedy Hour on the second Sunday of the month at 7:00 P.M.

 

• Drag Brunch every Sunday at 11:30 featuring an all-star line-up and always with a theme that guarantees the most fun for your money.

For tickets to events at Lush head over to their website. They’ve got an event space that seats plenty, but it does sell out regularly so grab your tickets in advance.

The Gay ’90s has a rough reputation in the LGBTQ+ community, but they’ve spent the past year or two cleaning up their act and bringing in some great new acts. Fan favorites include:

 

• Sweetpea and Mistress Mara hosting Kinky Friday on the first Friday of every month. This 18+ event is part performance, part kinky party, and all around great time.

 

• • GLAM! Boylesque shows up intermittently at the Ladies of La Femme Lounge. The next one is June 9th. Don’t miss out!

 

• Speaking of Ladies of La Femme—there are nightly drag shows at this huge lounge for plenty of you and yours to show up and see some great drag. Many of the queens have been there for years, and those legends alone are worth seeing. The new talent that gets brought in is also absolutely wonderful.

 

One of the first LGBTQ+ bars I came to regularly when I first came to Minneapolis was The Townhouse in St. Paul. While the entertainment line-ups are obviously completely different now than the were almost a decade ago, they’re still diverse, entertaining, and full of solid artists. Best shows include (but are not limited too):

 

• Pumps and Pearls Drag Revue at 9:30 P.M. Every Wednesday night.

 

• • Dragged Out, a cast of Drag Kings with special guests that fills up the main room on the third Friday of every month.

 

• A great trial run for aspiring burlesque performers and other awesome performances happens the second Friday of every month at 10:30 P.M. And the Nudie Nubie’s Show hosted by Red Bone and Foxy Tann.

 

Please note: we’d love to include YOU and YOUR work at The Column’s Arts Calendar. Please submit events to [email protected] or . As a fun bonus, if your event is super innovative or exciting, we’re likely to reach out for a deeper feature or review.