WEDNESDAY
Never A Boy
Wednesday, October 30 at UCB Hell’s Kitchen, 9 pm: $9
Visibility and representation in the media for trans and gender non-conforming people is certainly better than it once was, but it’s still all too common to see trans characters played by cis actors (or written by cis writers) or shoehorned into unfortunate stereotypes. That’s not the case with comedian Chloe Koser’s one-woman show Never A Boy. Koser tells her own story in her own words, delving into her personal journey of transition with a narrative that’s poignant but also unabashedly, comedically explicit. It’s not all autobiography, though; in between the memoir components of the show, Koser will perform an array of absurd characters, from a tampon maker to someone with deep carnal desire for a whale.
THURSDAY
Queer As In Fuck Boo: The Sequel
Thursday, October 31 at Otto’s Shrunken Head, 11 pm: $10
Halloween is a fun time for anyone who likes to dress up, be creative, and eat candy, but it’s a particularly eventful season for those enmeshed in a certain type of performance-based nightlife, like drag and burlesque. Performer schedules get stuffed to the brim with spooky, campy, and over-the-top shows for practically the whole month. One such show closing out the season is Vylette Tendency’s Queer as in Fuck You, a punk-inspired drag show in the East Village—good for all those who don’t want to go to Brooklyn for whatever reason. At famed bar Otto’s Shrunken Head (a spooky-sounding place in and of itself), QAIFU has been serving up tribute shows dedicated to musicians, but this week’s extravaganza is dedicated to one thing and one thing only: Halloween. Joining Tendency will be Anita Baretta, Noctua, Glitter Macabre, Paris La’Hommie, and more.
FRIDAY
Wet Cash
Friday, November 1 at GG’s Social Trade and Treasure Club, 8 pm: FREE (donation suggested for Make the Road NY)
Friday marks the start of November, which technically means the end of spooky season. However, there’s still something a little unnerving about a pile of moist money—it’s said to be the root of all evil, plus who likes when things are damp? Though this may sound strange, it can be found at the comedy show Wet Cash, which is mostly a stand-up showcase in a Bushwick thrift store to raise money for Make the Road but also the chance to win some dollar bills that have been literally soaking in a fishbowl full of water. This time, they’re welcoming Shalewa Sharpe, Brendan Eyre, Michael Timlin, Terence Hartnett, and host Rachel McCartney to the stage. Don’t just expect just a typical night of jokes; Wet Cash is known to get creative and downright strange.
SATURDAY
Red Canary Screams
Saturday, November 2 at Lot 45, 2 pm: $20+
It may seem like there’s an eternal amount of injustice to stress about at all times, and in a way that’s true. It’s important not to get overwhelmed and do nothing out of worrying about how to do all the things, but rather focus your activism efforts on more specific issues, particularly in solidarity with smaller organizations run by marginalized people themselves. This Saturday, you have the chance to do that and a slew of fun activities at Red Canary Screams, a daylong and jam-packed event to raise funds for Red Canary Song, an advocacy group centered around (and largely led by) Asian-American sex workers. There’ll be drag, burlesque, and circus, plus a BDSM dungeon experience, raffles, art, a photo booth, and more, all for a worthy cause.