SPICEBAG is an ad-hoc, grass roots, queer variety show spearheaded, and hosted, by artistic directors Stephen Quinn and Sarah Devereux. Following the recent culmination of the legendary HIV/AIDS fundraising and performance event the Alternative Miss Ireland, SPICEBAG was birthed on March 3rd, 2017; kicking, screaming and slathered in various bodily fluids. Writing in “Queer Notions: New Plays and Performances from Ireland” in 2010, Fintan Walsh called AMI a “central force in the queer performance calendar,” a force whose lack has been keenly felt following its conclusion in 2012. In an interview that same year, former AMI host Panti Bliss issued the provocation “isn’t it time the kids stepped up and started something new?” With SPICEBAG, we are offering our community that “something new.”

Our aim is to give production support and presentation opportunities to existing and emerging queer artists, providing an open-access platform that cultivates connectivity, diversity and experimentation. In terms of audience, accessibility and inclusivity are also key; we subsidise tickets for LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers to attend; our toilets on the night are gender neutral; the event takes place in a community-oriented space (The Dublin Working Men’s Club) outside of Dublin’s commercial gay venues. Essentially, our goal is to provide a space for queer fabulists and non-conformists to experiment, dance and whatever you’re having yourself there chicken; lash it in that SPICEBAG!

As the name suggests, SPICEBAG is a curated extravaganza, offering experimental performance across a variety of forms; the event itself consists of a quarterly, mixed-bill of performances (spoken-word poetry, burlesque, cabaret, dance, drag, stand-up comedy, multimedia etc.) culminating in live music and/or a DJ set.