The ice is melting, and though it is Minnesota and it may come again, everyone is starting to feel hopeful that Spring is in the air and we are moving into warmer times. Helping us feel all warm and fuzzy this March is the return to a full calendar of arts and community. I’m really excited to report all the exciting stuff going on this month, and tried to show a nice variety for our March Must Sees so there’s something for everyone.

Theatre & Film

Gadfly Theatre Productions opens The Children’s Play by Sami Pfeffer, a weird little long one-act play about trans identity and mental illness starring an entirely trans and non-binary cast, playwright, and director TONIGHT (March 2nd and running through March 11th). Tickets and more info are available here.

Paula Vogel’s Indecent is running at The Guthrie through March 24th. Head over to the Guthrie’s website to grab tickets and learn more. I have a review on this one coming by early next week at the latest.

Also at The Guthrie through March 9th is A.P. Looze’s highly anticipated Foray Softly, a solo show examining exploration and self. This event is one of three that are part of The Guthrie’s Solo Emerging Artist’s Celebration. All the shows look great and you can find out more here.

The Uptown Theater is running the cult drag classic To Wong Foo, Thanks for everything Julie Newmar as part of their Midnight Madness series. March 9th-11th. Ticket info right on their website.

Uprising Theatre who we LOVE here at TheColu.mn are having themselves a birthday bash/fundraiser on March 26th where you can get a sneak peek of their April show, Twisted Deaths. Support this company and see some rad actors doing their thing by securing tickets here.

Visual  & Literary Arts

Another highly anticipated event opening tonight is a photography exhibit about women who have survived sexual assault, aptly titled Female Warriors: Stories of Sexual Assault Survival. The big kickoff starts tonight at 6:00 PM. Check the Facebook event to learn more about this powerful gallery.

Lots of queer artists are participating in the first ever Weird SH*T Art Show! Kicking off Sunday, March 4th at the A-Mill Artist’s Lofts. This includes a lot of new and emerging artists and at a time when we’re concerned about losing weird art in the city, it’s one you’ll want to check out for sure. Visit their Facebook event to see more.

Indoor night market and lots of queer representation are hitting the Grain Belt Bottling House on March 8th from 5:00-10:00 P.M. Check out their Facebook event as well–the vendors are listed in the discussion if you want to find out specifics.

The They/Them project which has been featured here at TheColu.mn and has done amazing work raising visibility for our amazing community of genderqueer people here in the Twin Cities is getting a gallery show at Lush starting March 9th. You can meet some of the models and see some really beautiful photography of some of our cities’ most important activists. More info here.

Lisa Vecoli, curator of the Tretter Collection in GLBT Studies at the University of Minnesota since 2012, will share stories about her career, her life and her passion for books on March 12 at Quatrefoil for An Evening with Lisa Vecoli. Find out more here.

The Women Who Write series welcomes Catherine Friend, Rachel Gold, and Stephanie Maari Booker among other LGBTQ+ women this year on March 18th at Quatrefoil. I have this one marked on my personal calendar as well as there are a lot of really amazing writers featuring. Their Facebook event is the best place to learn more.

On March 25th Sonya Renee Taylor presents The Body is Not an Apology at Magers & Quinn and if you aren’t following and loving Taylor yet, you will be. Learn more at Magers & Quinn’s event page.

Drag, Burlesque, Cabaret & Music

Exposed: A Beautiful Exhale features a lot of emerging burlesque stars right alongside some seasoned pros and I’ve been excited to watch this show come together online. It opens March 9th at Minnsky Theater, and more info and tickets are available here.

Sunday March 11th sees the Miss LUSH 2018 pageant, and I know there are some fierce queens competing in this inclusive pageant chock full of talent. You can also still sign up yourself! Head over to Lush’s website for full info.

Daddy becomes Mommy for one night only (at least, to our knowledge now) on March 15th. The event is back at the Icehouse for this show. Kitten Forever have music for us, Nadi A’merena will be doing burlesque among a number of other great acts. Grab your tickets here.

If you’re up for a little bit of a road trip, Monticello has a David Bowie tribute night where the funds go to support the Youth & Schools Program at OutFront. More info (although what else do you need?!) and tickets are available here. This event takes place on March 31st.

March is not going out quietly as LAYNE is joined by Abisha Uhl and some other LGBTQ+ women you might recognize at Amsterdam Bar. It’s going to be a really fun, and you can grab your ticket to rock out here.

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.

You definitely don’t want to miss OutSpoken, a queer open mic hosted by Paul Canada, Marcel Michelle Mobama and Blaze Bordeaux on the second Wednesday of every month. This great event is now hosted at Lush! More information here.

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 TheColu.mn’s Arts Calendar. Please submit events to [email protected]. As a fun bonus, if your event is super innovative or exciting, we’re likely to reach out for a deeper feature or review.