1 — 12 AUGUST

They took me to a Queer bar

Written and Created by Tommy Misa

A special return season of the acclaimed new work

" a work that exemplifies the power of intimate live theatre" - Suzy Goes See

Tommy has always been a drifter and a series of events left them jobless and questioning everything they thought they knew about family and themselves. Fate and the venture into the unknown leads them to long running fictional Queer clubhouse Aunty Lavenders. And so begins a journey of Queer party history, self discovery and deep connections to the dancefloor that asks: where to from here?

After a critically-acclaimed sell out season in 2022, They took me to a Queer bar returns for a limited season. Part play, part celebration and inspired by Sydney’s Queer lineage, Tommy shares stories from the past and present and offers hope for a collective Queer future.

With the guidance and collaboration of iconic queer artists (Emma Maye Gibson, Jonny Seymour, Fetu Taku), They took me to A Queer bar draws on many modes of Queer performance — including drag, soundscapes, movement and costume by Demi-couture designers Nicol&Ford — to present the familiar intimacy and sacredness of the venues that we cannot describe without experiencing. A powerful ode to our second or perhaps first home.

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Creative team

Writer/Performer - Tommy Misa (he/they)
Performance Guide - Emma Maye Gibson (she/her)
Movement Director - Fetu Taku (she/they)
Sound/Queer Elder - Jonny Seymour (they/them)
Lighting Design - Frankie Clarke (they/them)
Set Design - Tommy Misa (he/they) and Lyndsay Noyes (she/her)
Costume - Nicol & Ford (Katie-Louise and Lilian Nicol-Ford)
Photographer - Joseph Mayers (he/him)


This listing is updated as cast and creatives are confirmed in the lead-up to the production, and if there are any changes to the team. 

Dates + Ticketing

Season: 1 - 12 August 2023
Times: Tuesday - Saturday 7.30PM; Saturday 2PM; Sunday 5PM

Approximate run time: 60 minutes

Supporters

They took me to a Queer bar was originally created as part of Brand X Flying Nun residency in 2020, and further developed with the support of Belvoir through the Shutdown Residency Program.

This work would not have been possible without the support, guidance and sharing of knowledge of Jonny Seymour, Brand X, Belvoir, Dino Dimitriadis, Alex Torney, Emele Ugavule, Harriet Gilles, Tait De Lorenzo, Joy Ng, Mark Tietjin and the staff at The Bookshop Darlinghurst and the Surry Hills Library and the audience of Queers old and young on the night of its first showing.

Content Note

Reference to sexual assault

  • Image credit: Joseph Mayers

  • Image credit: Joseph Mayers

  • Image credit: Joseph Mayers

  • Image credit: Joseph Mayers

From Cat, Con & Alex: The Old Fitz Theatre Artistic Directors

“In September, writer and performer Tommy Misa takes centre stage at the Old Fitz with They Took Me to a Queer Bar. This new work looks at the history of queer spaces as places of celebration, joy and resistance for queer identity. Tommy has collaborated with queer elder and veteran of Australian dance music scene Jonny Seymour (Stereogamous), performance artist Emma Maye Gibson (aka Betty Grumble) and choreographer Fetu Taku to create a piece that celebrates the multitudes of meanings of what it is to be queer. It’s with a very warm welcome that we invite these incredible artists to the Fitz.”