Queer Artists Debut New Work at 2021 Houston Fringe FestIVAL

By Addie Tsai

The 2021 Houston Fringe Festival, which will present three showcase-style evenings of fringe performances hosted by the Pilot Dance Project and curated by Adam Castaneda, will take place October 15–17, 2021, at Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston (MATCH). Among the artists selected to perform are Urethra Burns, Ayan Felix, and duo Stephanie Saint Sanchez and Jay Mays, LGBTQIA+ artists who will present explorations of gender and sexuality. 

Ayan Felix’s We, Present In Space offers a digital projection of an Afro-future, imagined through the eyes of queer Black people who see their dreams of land and gender realized. This new edit focuses more on the legibility of bodies and personhood, with a focus on movement with body adornments via angel/fae costuming and the meditation with the land. “This work is an offshoot of my work during my MFA,” says Felix. “We, Present in Space is a product of my ongoing processing of being genderqueer in the South. It’s dominated so much of my mental headspace, but I didn’t know how to discuss or talk about it other than through my art for a long time.”

Felix began to engage in conversations with other Black femmes who were interested in unraveling what gender meant to them. We, Present in Space is a collaborative product of those conversations and features Felix, Amari Jones, and Lee Edwards. Brittany Edwards offered the beats in the background, and Ivy Williams is the filmmaker and editor who collaborated with Felix on recording and assembling this work into film.

Interdisciplinary drag artist Urethra Burns presents Gender Studies, an interactive work exploring the conflicting gender roles imposed on non-binary people. Burns launched an anonymous survey on Reddit where they posted various close-ups of their body parts and asked participants to vote on the gender of the body part, only giving “male” and “female” as options. Gender Studies will center the comments and responses that they received from the survey, using pink and blue body paint. “My work has always been inspired by the ‘70s and ‘80s punk movement and experimental art, rather than mainstream drag,” explains Burns. “I want to introduce audiences to more complex ideas around drag. In terms of this piece, I hope audience members will consider that a lot of what we consider ‘facts’ aren’t truly factual.”

Multimedia production Queer Bitz, created by Stephanie Saint Sanchez and Jay Mays, will debut at the 2021 Houston Fringe Festival. Set in an unspecified future age, Queer Bitz takes on early pioneering queer moments in prime-time television by utilizing adapted-for-the-screen selections from popular early situational comedies that brought queer characters and hot button issues into U.S. living rooms. “Queer Bitz serves the community as a way to take a dip in the nostalgia pool in our authentic way using humor,” Saint Sanchez says. “Queer representation in the mainstream media, specifically in television, maintained a narrative that was initially about the struggle to exist, and this film is a testament to that time. Reimagined during COVID, this work serves to inspire the present appreciation of queer trailblazing happening now and in the future, where hopefully examining the past is still valued.”

“Each of the local actors and editors who contributed to this project, including our silicone friends, highlights the strength of Houston’s creative community,” adds writer and producer Jay Mays. “This project has allowed Houston artists to work together and bring joy into the creative process, which is greatly appreciated, and the only contagion we want during a pandemic.” 

We, Present in Space, Gender Studies, and Queer Bitzs will all be presented at the 2021 Houston Fringe Festival’s opening night, October 15, 2021, at MATCH at 8:00 p.m. Each performance will perform at 50% capacity and masks are strongly recommended. For tickets and more information, visit matchouston.org/events/2021/2021-houston-fringe-festival.