Duckie (group)

Duckie (group)

Duckie is a collective of performance artists that describes itself as “a post-gay independent arts outfit.” They produce a mix of so-called "cultural interventions", such as club nights, new-mode pop, burlesque and performance events, as well as anti-theatre experimentation. They have described their work as "mixing the arthouse with the dosshouse" and putting "highbrow performance in backstreet pubs and lowbrow performance in posh theatres".

Supported by grants from the British Council and Arts Council England, Duckie is based in London but has played in Berlin, Germany, Greece and Tokyo as well as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Blackpool Tower Ballroom and the Sydney Opera House. It continues to run cabaret and club nights every Saturday at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern (also known by its abbreviation, the RVT) and counts an Olivier Award for its show C’est Barbican amongst its accolades.

Duckie’s work is characterised by its engagement with the queer lifestyle and community, showcasing queer performers and performance art at its weekly Saturday club night and providing “a creative forum for alternative gay and lesbian performance and culture”. Other focusses include anti-class and anti-corporate ideals, including a rejection of corporate culture and gay commercial culture. This latter is highlighted in Duckie’s highly successful Gay Shame events, produced annually between 1996 and 2009 as an alternative to Gay Pride.

The company’s outlook is distinctly working-class, drawing influences in John McGrath, the Victorian music hall, punk culture and illegitimate theatre.