Award-Winning Queer Comedy Returns To Sydney This Mardi Gras With 5 Lesbians Eating A Quiche

If everything that you knew was in danger, what would you finally need to get off your chest?
It’s 1956 and The Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein are having their annual quiche breakfast, where the motto is ” no men, no meat, all manners”.

As the ‘ widows’ await the announcement of the society’s prize-winning quiche, chaos strikes when the atomic bomb alarm sounds and threatens to end their beloved quiche breakfast. Is it a drill?
Has the Communist threat come to pass? How will the widows respond if their idyllic town and lifestyle face an attack?

Director Rosie Niven ( The Laramie Project, Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again) returns to the Mardi Gras festival having directed 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche in 2021 and for Playlist in 2019 and 2020.

On the importance of the show, Niven says, “I’ve watched a lot of queer theatres, and we seem to have a pattern of narratives that end in devastating tragedy. That’s if we’re allowed the platform at all – I could count on one hand how many female-driven queer narratives I’ve ever seen. That’s what I find so special about 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche: the show has created a space where women can be unapologetically silly, funny, and proud of their identity.

LOTL chats to Director Rosie Niven

Tell us about the show!

5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche follows a group of widows at the 1956 Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein’s annual quiche breakfast, where the motto is “no men, no meat, all manners”.

When an atomic bomb hits their idyllic town and threatens not only their quiche breakfast but their way of life, they start to realise that their love for quiche isn’t the only thing that’s growing…

5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche is a tasty recipe of hysterical laughs, sexual innuendos, unsuccessful repressions, and delicious discoveries.

Why is 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche an important addition to the Mardi Gras program?

Although we make up a huge section of the LGBTQIA+ community, how often do you see narratives that celebrate queer women and place them centre stage? How many of those explore the joy of being a queer woman?

I decided to stage 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche in Sydney after feeling like there was a gap in how those narratives were being portrayed. As a queer woman, very rarely do I see myself accurately represented on stage, or if I do, I’m hit with tales of despair and exclusion. Mardi Gras is a time for celebration, and I wanted to see that reflected in the stories we’re telling. After staging the show in 2021 to sold-out audiences, I can see that many in the community felt the same.

5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche is an opportunity for queer artists to tell their own stories, and for the audience to see parts of themselves reflected back at them.

Why should people come and see this show?

We love to spread the love during Mardi Gras, and this is what this show is all about – being true to yourself, and proud of your identity. You’re in for a night for laughter, pride, and a whole lot of quiche.

5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche is 65 minutes of pure, unadulterated queer joy – what more could you want this Mardi Gras season?

Sounds amazing! How can we get tickets?

You can get your tickets at https://www.theatretravels.org/5-lesbians-eating-a-quiche-tour Can’t wait to see you there!

5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche is showing February 18th and 19th 2022 at Manning Bar, Sydney.