Hamtramck — For the second year in a row, Planet Ant Theatre will recognize National Coming Out Day with the Second Annual Live Out Fest: A Celebration of LGBTQ+ Identity & Freedom. The four-day festival takes place Oct. 10 through 13 across Planet Ant's performance venues in Hamtramck: The Planet Ant Black Box Theater, Ant Hall and Ghost Light Bar.
The first of its kind in Hamtramck, Live Out Fest spotlights local queer artists and performers to showcase the profound presence and impact of their contributions to their creative communities and beyond. The festival features the return of "Not In My House" from Kristi Faulkner Dance and The "Gender Bender" Drag Marathon; a world premiere play, "As They Like It," adapted from the Shakespearean classic and directed by Jared Scott Morin; "Quix, Women & Queers" comedy showcase hosted by Kai Quix; Detroit musical artist and performer DUANE; dance party with DJs Auntie Chanel and Ariel Sports; "Haireoke" hosted by Cole Davis; and the introduction of Drag Bingo & Brunch, Queer Market, Queer Open Mic and much more throughout the weekend.
"After an uplifting and inspiring first year in 2018, we are excited to expand this year's festival to include more artists and performers, representing a broader range of creative mediums throughout even more queer communities," said Live Out Fest producer, Kaitlyn Valor Bourque. "We hope to see the vast and varied identities who make up these communities turn up in all of their glory to support their fellow artists and makers throughout this jam-packed weekend!"
Here's the schedule at a glance:
– Live Out Fest 2019 kicks off on Thursday, Oct. 10th with a special edition of Planet Ant's weekly comedy variety show: "ThursGay Night Live," in the Ant Hall. This will be followed by "Haireoke" with Cole Davis: a wig-centric karaoke takeover at Ghost Light bar.
– Friday, Oct. 11, marks the World Premiere Opening Night of "As They Like It" in the Planet Ant Black Box Theater, as well as the "Not In My House" dance performance in the Ant Hall. Late-night entertainment features the "Quix, Women & Queers" Comedy Showcase in the Ant Hall and live music from DUANE and special guests First Responders at Ghost Light.
– On Saturday, Oct. 12, the first Queer Market fills the Ant Hall with vendors selling and presenting a wide variety of goods (interested vendors are invited to register at planetant.com/queermarket). A Queer Open Mic in Ghost Light begins the evening, including second-night performances of As They Like It and Not In My House, followed by GenderBender in the Ant Hall and a closing night dance party in Ghost Light with DJ's Auntie Chanel & Ariel Sports.
Sunday, Oct. 13, Planet Ant launches its first official Drag Bingo & Sunday Brunch at Ghost Light, followed by a premiere screening of the "Not In My House" documentary in the Ant Hall. The festival closes with a twilight matinee performance of "As They Like It" in the Black Box.
Earlybird All-Access festival passes are on sale now through October 1. A la carte tickets are also available. All tickets and passes can be purchased at planetant.com/liveout. Individuals interested in volunteering during the festival can reach out to festival producers, Kaitlyn Valor Bourque and Kristi Faulkner, by emailing [email protected].
