2022 Bi+ Arts Festival (September 2022)

Alliston Davis is a singer-songwriter based in Toronto. In 2017, he decided to turn his childhood dream of singing into a career. He has put out multiple singles like “Brand New”, “Own Me (10.15)”, and “Low Down Low”, and has featured on other Toronto-based artists’ tracks like Lexxicon’s “Doing To Me” and Drty Shdw’s “Never Let Me Down”. 2020 was a busy year for Alliston. He dropped two EPs, “Problematic” in late summer and “Night Pack” in October. With these two collections, he is making a name for himself in the Canadian music industry. In 2022, he has been working on completing his first full-length album. In addition to his own body of work, he’s working on other artists’ projects and features that will be released soon.

Angelic [they/t[he]m] is a Russian-Jewish non binary transgender poet and musician – who loves to explore themes of queerness, diaspora, and ways we rebel against our own perscription. They are the Poet in Residence at the Roundhouse Community Arts Centre. They delighted to be the founder and creative director of the Transgender Expressions Haven – a not for profit organization celebrating transgender creative genius.

Anto Chan is a Queer 2nd Generation HK Chinese-Canadian performance artist, writer & producer. He performed his one-person shows “Shed Talks” at the Toronto Fringe 2016 & “Love So Far” at the Montreal Fringe Festival 2019. He has travelled across North America & Asia featuring at the Hong Kong Comedy Festival, The Sleeping in our Car Tour & Rise Poetry. He currently co-produces and hosts a recurring community event “Freeflow Showcase” and released his chapbook Love So Far: Romantic Reflections. In 2022, he received a grant from the Canada Council of the Arts for his project InnerGenerational: Trauma & Healing, that he performed during May’s Asian Heritage Month and the Guelph Fringe Festival. He continues to create meaningful, influential works that centre around his journey of growth, self-love and childhood trauma healing.

Anuja Varghese (she/her) is a Pushcart-nominated QWOC writer based in Hamilton, ON. Her work appears in The Malahat Review, Hobart, The Fiddlehead, Plenitude Magazine, The Quarantine Review, , Humber Literary Review, and Corvid Queen: A Journal of Feminist Folklore & Fairy Tales, among others. Anuja has work included in the Queer Little Nightmares anthology (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2022) and her debut collection of short stories is forthcoming (House of Anansi, 2023). Anuja serves as Fiction Editor for The Puritan, as well as a board member for gritLIT, Hamilton’s literary festival. Anuja holds a degree in English Literature from McGill University and is currently pursuing a Creative Writing Certificate from the University of Toronto while working on an adult fantasy novel based on medieval India. She can be found on Instagram (@anuja_v) and Twitter (@Anuja_V), or by visiting her website www.anujavarghese.com.

Jade NC (they/them) is a queer trans comedic performer, born and raised in Toronto. With a deep love for standup comedy and hosting events, they’re looking forward to a slow return to live stages! Jade has been featured on the 420 Comedy Festival, JFL42, The Virtual Proud + Funny Festival 2020, and had the honour of doing standup at the Ted X Youth conference in January of 2019. Their comedy focuses on educating people on the Black queer experience, and since they’re also trans …and polyamorous, they add a ton of diversity to the otherwise all white lineups they’re often booked on. Look for them on social media as @friendlyblack.hottie, and true to that name, become their pal if you like!

For many years, Kristine Maitland has been singing jazz, blues, spirituals, swing, cabaret and vaudeville made popular by Black performers such as Nina Simone, Eartha Kitt, Oscar Brown, Jr., Ella Fitzgerald and Alberta Hunter. She has performed at past Bi+ Arts Festivals as well as at Buddies in Bad Times, Free Times Cafe, and the Lula Lounge.

Steven Falk is a Toronto based upright and electric bass player. Steven graduated from the Humber College music program with a degree in Jazz Performance and Composition in 2013. Skilled in a variety of styles, Steven has performed with many different groups in the city and has toured all over Canada.

OEDIPUS THE MOTHERFORKER: The reverse-psychologist anti-hero your therapist always warned you about.

Get your dopamine, get mad, be electro-shocked (and awed) by the odd queeriosities of your wildest nightmares.

Hysterically abnormal and diagnosably strange. Drag, burlesque, performance art. Genre, gender and sexual ambiguity.

Toronto, be aFreud.
It’s Oedipus, the OG MF.

About Your MC

Bianca Boom Boom (they/she) is a curvy, campy, queer and vampy cabaret diva and burlesque bombshell. A true triple threat treat, this award-winning, Bi+ babe and high femme them has dazzled stages across the cosmos and back again for over a decade, including the illustrious Burlesque Hall Of Fame Weekender in Las Vegas.

In addition to her onstage theatrics, Bianca is a tutor of tease and self love sorcery. They also serve on the committee of the annual Bi+ Arts Festival. They are a showoff showpony of the highest degree, and as all who have seen her in action are sure to agree, will steal your heart and leave you spellbound.