Q2Q-2: Refusing the queer monolith
From December 6th - 10th 2021, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, in partnership with the frank theatre hosted critical and timely conversations about Queer Performance in Canada.
Q2Q-2: Refusing the Queer Monolith was an opportunity to reflect on the pluralistic make up of Queer theatre communities across Turtle Island. Through a series of panels, workshops, and performances, the conference aimed to foster discussions and collaborations across the many Queer performance communities on Turtle Island in so-called Canada. We asked: what does it mean to actively question what binds us as a queer theatre community and instead, how do we support multiple and often overlapping queer communities? How do we create environments that support division without being divisive? What happens to queerness without the ability to physically form community?
Conference History
Q2Q-2: Refusing the Queer Monolith was the second iteration of a national queer theatre conference in Canada. Q2Q: A Symposium on Queer Theatre and Performance in Canada, was hosted in Vancouver in 2016 by the frank theatre company and Simon Fraser University. In November 2020, Buddies in Bad Times was to host Q2Q-2 in conjunction with the frank theatre and the University of Toronto.
Due to COVID-19, this event was postponed. After several delays, the decision to move forward with a digital conference in December 2021 was agreed upon by Buddies in Bad Times Interim Programming Director, Daniel Carter and Conference Organizer, Makram Ayache. Previous Conference Producer, Laine Newman Zisman was unavailable to remain on the project.
The Advisory Committee for the online Q2Q-2 Conference included Elena (or Eli) Belyea, Yolanda Bonnell, Philip Geller, Santiago Guzmán, Darrin Hagen, Tawiah BenEben Mfoafo-M’Carthy, Nikki Shaffeeullah, Anais West (the frank’s artistic producer) and Richie Wilcox.