Postgraduate duo creating Fringe adventures in time and gender – on a boat

History Bois: Adventures in Time and Gender is a residency on the ONCA Barge in Brighton Marina, performed by transgender performer E Mallin (Mal) Parry and multidisciplinary artist SL (Ess) Grange.

Both are based in the university's School of Humanities, carrying out research led by creative practice combining performance and queer studies. Mal complements their research with work in theatre and opera performance and design, while Ess investigates improvisatory performance to highlight queer/unruly characters from history, such as Mary Frith aka Mal/Moll Cutpurse – a legendary pickpocket in 17^th century London.

Inclusive Pride flag

Their residency will showcase a diverse range of time and gender-queering free events – booking required - including exhibitions, live performance, poetry, political drag and workshops. The launch will take place on 23 June, starting at 6pm.

Specific events include a collection of history-bending performance pieces under the title We Elizabethans, a photography exhibition Closet Dramas, live installations and performances under the title Fag Ends // Fag Breaks, a live writing/seance A Lucky Resurrection, plus a historically-inspired queer self-fashioning workshop Show Thyself!

Ess's recent work includes A Note to Mary Frith for Shakespeare’s Globe, and they also perform as drag thing Tawdry Hepburn. The duo also co-founded QAF Space - an online LGBTQ+ community and 24/7 zoom room – and the performance company The ELMS.