VENUS BOYS

Venus Boys is a group of Drag performers who paint from the palette of performative masculinity. Venus Boys in Berlin started in 2019 as a monthly show at Silver Future, every Berliner’s local queer bar. However the name Venus Boys comes form the 2000 film by Gabrielle Bauer about Drag Kings and "female masculinity". The film features drag artists who we have since made friends and performed with, Bridge Markland and Mo B Dick.

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"Venus Boys is a space for Drag performers who represent, challenge and subvert masculinity in their work, it is a playground for masculine Drag. A space in which the performers toy with the gestures through which masculinity becomes apparent as a cultural phenomenon. Although we are happy to call it a Drag King show, this label does not account for the full scope of gender expressions on the stage. It is about what it means to perform masculinity, what it means to seize the power that can come from this. Sometimes a straight up parody of masculinity, sometimes something which ruptures 'the masculine' and interrogates it. Other times it is something post-gender altogether, or a brand-new gendered imagining. The Venus Boys put masculinity on display, on trial. We demolish it and put it back together again. We consider not only what is, but what has been, and what could be."

Venus Boys Statement 2020

Camp Dad started hosting the Venus Boys show at Silver Future in May 2019, with Babychino on tech. The Boys would get ready together at Cafe Valentin, the cafe of Bleach and Sam Lux, enjoy vegan food together and walk through the streets of Neukolln to the venue. Shortly after this Buba Sababa began to host his monthly show for first time performers and hosts- König. This monthly show at Tipsy Bear Berlin takes place the third Friday of every month. König provides first time performers and hosts with the tools to create their performances with a series of workshops, the project has recently received government funding.

After Venus Boys and König started the regular performers there began to make theatre shows together. Venus de Mercury was a Freddie tribute at Schwuz in 2019, The Roaring Tranties, a 20s revue from 2020 took place at Schwuz and Monster Ronsons.

Before Venus Boys reached their first birthday in 2020 the corona pandemic made creating shows and community spaces impossible. The day after the lockdown was announced, Ruco LaPesto and Buba Sababa made the first Digital Boys show. Bala Bimbambum, Sofia Turnter, H P Loveshaft, Camp Dad, Bleach, Miss Steak, and many more artists, continued to make online shows via twitch. Tipsy Bear and Silver Future opened their closed dors so that Venus Boys could film online shows. Venus Boys celebrated their first and second birthday with online shows.

During the pandemic an immersive exhibition at Wilden Renate called Overmorrow created a corona safe way to experience live art. In August 2020 Venus Boys did a takeover of the exhibition inspired by the tale of Alice in Wonderland. Venus Boys- This Is Not Wonderland, ran for 4 days.

In 2021, Mojo and Ruco LaPesto created the Gender Bender Academy, a workshop series where first tine performers could receive knowledge and inspiration from performers of the Vneus Boys commity through a series of workshops. Later that year, Angelo Dynamo and Buba Sababa created the theatre show "Not Dead Yet" which premiered in a circus tent at Festiwalla. Later that year Alec M Ballz created the nautical treasure hunt along the Landwehr Canal with 15 performers on boats - Siren Quingdom. Venus Boys also had special shows at Tipsy Bear- Tipsy Boys, such as Daddy Issues hosted by Many Faced Godx. Venus Boys Kabarett at Monster Ronsons happened four times in 2021. At this time were also Venus Boys drag shows at every Fluidity Party hosted by Lilith the Quing.

To celebrate the Venus Boys 3 year anniversary in 2022 a special month of shows for May was created celebrating the shows of each of the members of the group with a regular show in Berlin. Camp Dad hosted the first Monday of the month at Silver Future, Buba hosted König, Nosmo King hosted a special edition their comedy show Doo Wop Art Flop, Mona La Doll with her freakshow Pins and Needles. Ruco LaPesto hosted a Wellness Show, Balabimbambum and Buba hosted a special edition of Tipsy Boys. Nancy´s Trannyoke at Monster Ronsons hosted the premier of Magic Dyke- the butch strip show hosted by Daddy Dyke and Ryder Dyke which has since taken Berlin by storm. The 3 year anniversary closed with TRANARCHY a drag club night at Renate.

In 2022 Adam Munnings created "A Trip To Venus" a short documentary about 5 Venus Boys- Bala Bimbambum, Buba Sababa, Dornika, Nancy, and Nosmo King. You can see the film by clicking the image to the right.

In 2022 Venus Boys performed at Whole Festival with a long format group theater piece produced by Papi Pistola, and directed by Buba Sababa. Early in 2023 Venus Boys performed at Bushwig in Berlin with a show directed by Nosmo King and produced by Papi Pistola. And again in 2023 Venus Boys performed at Whole Festival.

In November 2023 Venus Boy officially closed with a ceremony and celebration at Silver Future.