Ladies at a Gay Girls’ Bar, 1938-1969

A 1990’s teen lesbian explores history and reckons with the power of femininity in this solo dance/theatre performance.

Maggie Cee brings the history of 20th-century american fem(me)/butch lesbian bars to life, illuminating the feminine women whose stories are too often forgotten, but whose strength and determination paved the way for the gay rights movement that followed. This intimate performance imagines the queer past and passions between people who loved, fought, and created space to be themselves out of sheer necessity and determination.

Called a “major highlight” of the Hartford (Connecticut, USA) Fringe Festival by theatre critic Christopher Arnott, who said: “Ladies at a Gay Girl’s Bar: 1938-1969 sweetly explored the femme/butch dichotomy in lesbian bars over half a century ago. Cee is a graceful, down-to-earth performer who’s passionate about her subject and tells it through dance, pre-recorded voices, oral histories, fictional characters and well-chosen music.