Fable

Irish folklore, drag and gender. Banshees, wailing, lip-syncing, fairies, shapeshifting, mischief.

FABLE is a physical theatre, dance, drag show that delves into Irish storytelling and queer identities, finding the intersections of folklore, fairytales, ritual, gender fluidity, drag and sexuality.
In Irish folklore, the renowned fairies are magical and ethereal as seen as descendants of the Tuatha De Danann, the supernatural gods of Ireland. But they are also troublemakers, mischievous and gritty, and an activist symbol of Ireland’s pre-colonical, pre-Christian/Catholic identity. FABLE draws Ireland’s fairytales to explore this juxtaposition of whimsy and tragic, lightness and darkness, escapism and activism. We draw similarities between these fairytales and queerness – how queer identities and culture live and thrive between these binaries and the acknowledgement of queer existence in indigenous storytelling, pre-colonial structures.
FABLE honours ancestral and queer lineages and connections.
FABLE is part of Melbourne Fringe Festival 2026.