Queer as folk … and funny too!
Queerstories is a regular hit at Brisbane Comedy Festival, which is about to have us in stitches across several venues.
For 10 years, the hugely popular storytelling showcase Queerstories has made audiences around Australia laugh, cry, think and, according to its co-founder Maeve Marsden, get a little turned on.
“First and foremost, it’s about entertainment because I’m an entertainer,” explains Marsden, who describes herself as a “breathtakingly attention-seeking child whose parents gave her that attention”.
“But I also want audiences to find that one story where it’s something that they’ve never considered before or never heard before. Where they’ve laughed and felt warm or cried or been slightly turned on or slightly creeped out, then that’s great.”
Queerstories plays for one night only, April 26, as part of Brisbane Comedy Festival, April 23 to May 25. Also returning is festival favourite Aboriginal Comedy Allstars, featuring premier First Nations comedians Andy Saunders, Elaine Crombie, Janty Blair, Jay Wymarra, Kevin Kropinyeri and Sean Choolburra.
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Ben Hunter
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Anise Nandaula
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Matt Okine
Among other acts to catch are Brisbane locals Matt Okine, Ben Hunter and social media sensation Anisa Nandaula, along with rising stars of comedy Jordan Barr (who has opened for the likes of Hannah Gadsby and Catherine Cohen), Fady Kassab (dishing on his Fady Issues) and Stuart Daulman with a treasure-trove of new material and timeless classics. There’s also the musical comedy of award-winning identical twin duo The Stevenson Experience and Harry Jun’s Friendship Safari, an expedition into the highs and lows of companionship.
But back to the return of Queerstories, which premiered at Kings Cross public library in Sydney in 2015. It invites writers, performers and regular folk from the queer community to tell a true story about themselves in front of a live audience. Quickly growing in popularity, in 2018 Queerstories made its way to Brisbane Comedy Festival where it now attracts some of its largest audiences.
“Brisbane’s been a real success story, with a venue and team who know how to market it and a local audience who are really keen for it,” Marsden says. “Every time I come up we have about 500 people. It has a real vibe. It’s really fun.”
‘The main brief is to tell the story you want to tell, but are never asked to’
For this year’s festival Marsden has programmed a typically intriguing cast of storytellers.
“There’s Ben Graetz, who’s this incredible First Nations artist and drag performer; Steve MinOn, an author and advertising copywriter; and Mel Saward, a First Nations writer and academic,” Marsden says. “There’s also Sean Dowling, who’s a playwright; as well as Chloe Mills, a publicist who chatted to me at a writer’s festival and was, like, ‘I’ve always wanted to do queer stories’.”
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As a seasoned performer and storyteller Marsden works closely with the speakers as they put together their stories.
“The main brief is to tell the story you want to tell, but are never asked to,” she says. “Something that’s unexpected, something that people wouldn’t think to associate with you. And, especially for people with a public platform, I don’t want the same schtick they do every time.”
Over the years Marsden has watched Queerstories reach audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
“It’s a pretty broad cross-section of the community,” she says. “We get 20-year-olds and we get 70-year-olds and it’s pretty mixed in terms of gender. But we definitely skew nerdier. I like to joke with the audience that I’m the biggest extrovert in the world but I’ve somehow attracted an audience of queer introverts. The audience is so warm. People have said to me you can go to Queerstories alone – and that’s really lovely.”
It’s the intimacy and emotion of Queerstories that seems to be its most vital quality for Marsden, and this is something that has been a constant in her diverse career as a producer and performer.
“I’m interested in putting people into rooms together and having them experience something. Having those human beings feel, even for a moment, connected to each other. It’s what brings me joy.”
After 10 years, can Marsden see another decade in Queerstories?
“In its tenth year, I feel reflective,” she says. “Is it time for me to stop? But people keep coming back and booking the event and Queerstories isn’t running out of good stories! Our stories are expansive and endless and there’s a million possibilities and ways to exist in a community.”
Queerstories plays Brisbane Powerhouse on April 26 as part of the 2025 Brisbane Comedy Festival. It is hosted by Maeve Marsden with special guests Ben Graetz, Melanie Saward, Chloe Mills, Steve MinOn and Sean Dowling. All Queerstories events are Auslan interpreted.
Brisbane Comedy Festival runs April 23 to May 25 at venues Brisbane Powerhouse, The Tivoli, Fortitude Music Hall and The Princess Theatre.