Seven Women or Non-Binary Artists You Probably Don’t Know But Should

As part of Storefront Theatre’s Feminist Fuck It Festival, we asked the festival’s five curators to tell us a female artist they think more people should know about. Some are in the festival, some aren’t, but they’re all worth checking out.

Who Is a Woman or Non-Binary Artist More People Should Know About?

Bahia Watson

Dainty Smith, also known as Dainty Box, is a Toronto-based storyteller, playwright, actor, speaker, emcee, producer, and burlesque performer. Founder of Les Femme Fatales: WOC, Canada’s first burlesque troupe for women of colour, Dainty is a feminist, a community builder, and a true polymath who creates works and spaces where vulnerability, risk, bravery, and unbounded sexuality can flourish with raw emotion and style. Through burlesque, she reclaims her body as sacred and practises self-love, which, as a Black woman, becomes a powerful act of resistance. Her vintage dress collection deserves a piece of its own, and her love of red lipstick is a true inspiration. She is a hard-working, ever-expanding artist who lives by the motto: “Black thighs save lives.”

 

Bri Proke

Naomi Rachel Vogt is a performer and theatre-creator from Vancouver. In her writing, Naomi demands answers to difficult questions about topics such as patriarchy, gender, death, and unconventional bodies, taking a comedic, clever, and original spin. Her acting credentials span the country, from performing larger-than-life characters in theatre for young audiences in Nova Scotia to going full frontal in a kitchen in an East Vancouver theatre on a sweaty summer night.

Naomi’s words, whether delivered as a playwright or performer, always hit hard. She never shies away from expressing details of the female experience, she aims to impress through language, not looks, and she isn’t afraid to expose the real, everyday difficulties of modern-day women.

Claire Burns

Let’s give a shout out to a couple of beautiful drag performers, shall we?! Drag’s been challenging gender stereotypes for ages, and lez be real, queerness is all around us. Fay Slift and Fluffy Souffle are early childhood educators who are popping up all over Toronto at venues like the ROM, AGO, the Gladday Bookstore, and the 519, introducing messages of love and inclusion to kids at a young age. We are stoked to have them introduce notions of queer identity to youngsters through Drag Queen Storytime

 

 

 

Michaela Washburn

Someone who inspires me immensely is Krystal Thompson. Owner at The Luscious Life and manager at Quantum Tangle, she has been dedicated to educating, empowering, and assisting people so that they can take an active role in their healing and wellness. Her work is grounded in narrative therapy, yoga, health at every size, intuitive eating, and anti-diet body liberation.

She loves to work with larger-bodied (fat) folks, queerdos, unicorns, and magical people of all races, genders, and ages. She is a fierce warrior for body positivity and she has changed my life for sure! She is currently based in Yellowknife, but comes to Toronto often.

Sedina Fiati

It is really hard to choose just one person! I have two.

Firstly, Kim Ninkuru, performing in Cue Tee By Poc. She’s a kickass multidisciplinary artist calling it out and spilling the tea with style and finesse.

Secondly, Sarah Gibbons, curator and performer in Femme Fatales Musicale. She is a dynamic singer, ready to fuck shit up and challenge music theatre norms.

 

 

 

The Feminist Fuck It Fest is on from April 11 – 22 at 360 Geary Lane. For tickets or more information, click here.


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