11 – 19 October
Launched in defiance of Brexit and the rising tide of toxic nationalism, PAPAYA Fest is a unique fusion of Latin American and British culture in the heart of Bristol.
Curated by Popelei, the festival programme includes theatre, live music, film, discussion events and JUICY BITS: our ground-breaking artist development programme nurturing collaborations between Bristolian and Latin-American theatre makers.
StageTalk will be reviewing:
50 Ways To Kill A Slug – 11th October, 7.30 pm
Dre and Jo are busy-important-slugs-on-the rise, going straight to the top. Lett-uce be frank: these queer deviants will be dancing, lip syncing and writhing around in lots…and lots of SLIME.
Celebrating queerness, ugliness and uselessness, exploring the slug as a political symbol of resistance. Rejecting the relentless grind, these sluggies embrace radical slowness, defiantly rejecting the binary “BE PRODUCTIVE OR DIE!”.
Mad Women – 18th October, 7.30 pm.
Witty, fierce and fearless, PAPAYA Fest presents a play about living with bipolar disorder, inspired by three outstanding Latin American women artists; Frida Kahlo, Violeta Parra and Judith Marquez.
This fictional portrayal of their mental health journeys from life to death, depicted through intertwined monologues, challenges the stereotypes and stigmas historically associated with “being a woman”. Mad Women by Mental Creations presents a brutally honest conversation about sexuality, motherhood, gender oppression and the role of women in the arts.
Jeezus! – 19th October, 8 pm.
On his journey to meet the social demands of masculinity and becoming a man within a catholic family, a Peruvian boy named Jesús falls deeply in love with best friend Jesus Christ.
Jeezus!, a new musical comedy with hymns, bodily fluids and religious rapture comes to Papaya Festival for one night only after its opening run at London’s Pleasance and Brixton House. Join Jesús in their quest to overthrow the Father of patriarchs and find just how much Jesus really loves him!
The Wardrobe Theatre, The Old Market Assembly, 25 West Street, Old Market, Bristol, BS2 0DF
