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“And then I thought, well, this is a fantastic kind of premise for a comedy show. Comedic gold.”
Ryan talks about their year from hell in a one-person show, Functional Bottom, in the MELT festival, which takes place across Brisbane from October 23 to November 10.
Directed and co-written with trans comedian Anna Piper Scott, Ryan says Functional Bottom has universal appeal, despite being particular to their situation as a queer performer, journalist and former sex worker.
“There’s a lot in the show that people can relate to,” they said. “I think humour in the face of all this darkness is a really powerful tool.”
MELT is Brisbane’s celebration of LGBTQIA+ artists and their allies, with more than 130 events across 19 days, spanning art, performance, parties and sports.
The inaugural River Pride Parade on Saturday, November 9 – led by drag superstar Courtney Act – will be viewable from South Bank Lagoon, Howard Smith Wharves and New Farm Park.
American photographer Spencer Tunick is returning to shoot thousands of nude participants on the Story Bridge on Sunday, October 27.
Ryan, who moved from Queensland to Melbourne at the age of 18, confessed to getting “a little teary” about the fact Brisbane has such a large queer arts festival.
“Younger me couldn’t imagine that kind of thing happening in Brisbane,” they said.