What's on in April - Dionysus Tour!

Dionysus: god of wine, ecstacy, madness, theatre - and patron of queer life. This shapeshifting, genderqueer, polyamorous deity captured my imagination last year, and as part of my storyteller side-quest to share more unapologetically queer stories, I brought their tales to A Bit Crack, Get A Word in Edgeways Festival, Guesthouse Storytellers and Torriano Storynight.

Over the winter I have had time to let these stories sit in the dark and ferment, and something richer and wilder has grown from them. I’m so excited to be able to share the new shape of this shifting story with you as I take it out on the road for 2025.

I kicked off this new blend, in collaboration with the Crick Crack Club, at Oxford Story Museum. It was the day of the spring equinox, which felt so fitting for the story of the dying and rising god, who descends into the underworld and returns with the gift of wine at the equinox.

I was nervous. I had a good crowd in the room, more watching online, and (I discovered) a poet whose work I adore had travelled specifically to Oxford to see the show and was sat IN THE FRONT ROW… But once I got up and started telling, I felt the magic spark in the space. The audience were hidden from me by the stage lights, but I could feel them leaning in, listening intently; crackling out into laughter, sniffling back tears, and giving an immense round of applause at the end. After the show, I travelled cross-country that evening to my next gig in Lincolnshire, but it felt like I carried that magic spark with me all the way. And it is sitting with me still, like a little ember warming the heart of this tale.

Up next on the tour, I’m coming back to play the home stadium - Ropetackle Storytellers in Shoreham. I’ve been waiting to share this with Ropetackle for a while now (Abbie has been bugging me relentlessly) and with the energy our club audiences bring, I know it’ll be a stellar evening. If you’re on the South coast, come and join us live at Ropetackle Arts Centre on April 14th, or grab a Watch Later ticket to get access to the recording.

Then after Ropetackle I’m zipping on up to Manchester to bring Dionysus to Sting in the Tale on April 16th. You can’t book your tickets in advance for this one, it’s pay on the door, but do pop ‘Going’ on the Facebook event so I know to look out for you, and drop host Iris an email if you’ve got any questions or concerns about getting there.

There’s more to come in May (and if you’d like Dionysus to come to your club or evening, get in touch!) but that’s for the next email. Hope to see you with the wild god of liberty sometime soon, friends.