National Queer Arts Festival Press Releases

The sultry seductions of Chicago’s C.C. Carter and San Francisco’s Maina Minahal, featured in It’s a Femme Thing, highlight NQAF's opening weekend. Carter is best known for her recent book of poetry Body Language and the shows she has performed on the Women’s Music Festival circuit. A second opening weekend show is 2 Men Talking, which features a dialogue between two Jewish gay men who grew up during the apartheid era in South Africa, and whose lives reconnect in New York City during the height of the AIDS crisis.

Minneapolis performance artist Djola Branner joins NQAF this year with his show Mighty Real, which details the public and private life of San Francisco disco diva legend Sylvester. In Mighty Real Branner sings many of Sylvester’s hits, including his best-known song for which the show is named. Former San Franciscan comedienne Marga Gomez returns to NQAF with the brand-new show Single Wet Female. Gomez will be joined by fellow New Yorker Carmelita Tropicana. Producer Veronica Combs' annual hit performance project Liquid Fire returns this year with Skin Hot -- Bone Deep. NQAF curator Sini Anderson will perform news pieces in Displacement, a show dedicated to the late Kris Kovick that also features performances by Marci Blackman, Marcus Rene Van, and Kinnie Starr.

Further NQAF highlights include former San Franciscan Danielle Abrams’ one-woman show Quadroon; Kate Rigg’s show Kate’s Chink-a-rama; and the Mangina Monologues with Marvin White, part of BGLAM (Black Gay Letters & Arts Movement). More to watch out for during the NQAF are contributions from the Jon Sims Center (JSC). The Best of AIRspace Series returns with Duy Nguyen's Things Unsaid. Other JSC highlights include Mahesh Dattani's A Muggy Night in Mumbai and SfinX (SF in Exile) Greatest Hits.

The NQAF is also excited to debut the Women in Music Series, which features Kaia Wilson of the Butchies, Nedra Johnson, Gwen Avery, Ulali, Kinnie Starr, and Ferron. The Series happens June 24-27, as the NQAF heads into Pride Week. Highlights of the Festival’s closing include Allison Wright in And You Can't Make Me; a CD release party for Deep Dickollective; and Canadian comedienne Elvira Kurt. The NQAF also features comedy nights produced by QComedy every Monday night throughout June at the Center.

Tickets for any NQAF event may be purchased online at www.queerculturalcenter.org, by phone at 415-865-5611, by fax at 415-865-5666, by email at NQAF@aol.com, or in person at the SF LGBT Community Center: 1800 Market St, Suite Q-31. Box office hours are to be determined. Remaining tickets will be available onsite at each venue 1 hour before show time. All tickets are held at will call; no tickets will be mailed.

The National Queer Arts Festival is a series of cultural events, exhibitions, performances, and interpretive programs organized by The Queer Cultural Center and Harvey Milk Institute. For further information on any Festival event or to purchase tickets, please contact the National Queer Arts Festival at 415.865.5611 or visit the Web site at www.queerculturalcenter.org.

Venue List: all events take place in San Francisco
African American Art and Culture Complex, 762 Fulton Street @ Webster Street
Brava, 2789 24th Street @ York
Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th Street
Galeria de la Raza, 2857 24th Street @ Bryant
Jon Sims Center for the Arts, 1519 Mission Street @ 11th Street
Lorraine Hansberry Theater, 620 Sutter Street @ Mason
Mission Cultural Center, 2868 Mission Street @ 24th Street
ODC Theater, 3153 17th St @ Shotwell
The SF LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street @ Octavia
SomArts, 934 Brannan Street @ 8th Street
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission Street