In collaboration with
Kick off World Pride Month with an event that combines the art of storytelling with the rigor of historic research. University of Amsterdam academics are working with performers from the city’s vibrant storytelling scene to explore unique moments in Amsterdam’s LGBTQIA+ past. The result is a night of storytelling grounded in extensive academic investigations into a queer history topic.
Join us at VOX-POP for an entertaining start Amsterdam World Pride by celebrating our community’s roots.
Friday, July 3
Performance starts at 7:30pm
(Doors open at 7pm)
Duration
2 – 3
Hours
Maximum
100
Guests *
Cost
Free
* No reservations, so make sure you arrive when doors open!
Duration
2 – 3
Hours
Maximum
100
Guests *
Cost
Free
* No reservations, so make sure you arrive when doors open!
Amsterdam’s Hidden Queer Stories is supported by the following departments and initiatives at University of Amsterdam:
The event is also supported by the AFK (Amsterdam Fund for the Arts).
These are just a few of the engaging and inspiring stories on this unique night. Come join us to find out more!
As a toddler in India, Bipin Upadhyay was introduced to the nitty-gritty of communication through stories with allegories, metaphors, and tropes. Now that he is all grown up and what not, he struggles to have a simple conversation without delving into long, self-indulgent stories. Thankfully, he has friends who invite him to cook up stories and perform them to unsuspecting audiences.
Elyzabeth Gorman is the passionate founder and sole researcher behind Badass Tours, dedicated to uncovering and sharing Amsterdam’s hidden histories. Elyzabeth has performed at renowned venues like the Amsterdam Museum, Van Gogh Museum, and Jewish Museum and has been a regular storyteller at Mezrab House of Stories.
Guus Møystad is a visual artist, writer and storyteller based in Amsterdam. He is a chaotic hodgepodge of identities that never settle for long and finds his inspiration in history, subcultures, and folklore.
Irina Koriazova is an Amsterdam-based storyteller. She has a dry sense of humor and loves to turn things upside down: victims become protagonists, and terrifying monsters turn into creatures worthy of love. Her work is sometimes described as raw and unsanitized — like dirt under the fingernails, it clings and lingers. Irina regularly performs and hosts at Mezrab, as well as other storytelling venues and festivals across the Netherlands. Most recently she performed at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival with ‘Coo d’Etat: The pigeon uprising’ (a show about one pigeon who had enough).
Joseph Kearney is a storyteller and film producer from Ireland who is a regular host and contributor at Mezrab House of Storytelling. As an out and proud queer man, he works in the LGBTQ+ space, including running a storytelling event at Theater Bellevue called Brave Space. His production company Backlash Media has produced 3 theater pieces and 2 short films in the past 4 years and we are just about to make our 3rd movie later in 2026.
Rissa Ellis is from Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. As a current European Studies: Identity and Integration graduate student at the University of Amsterdam and a tour guide, she is passionate about sharing the untold stories of those who helped build a better society for all.
Lisa Konst (She/They) An Amsterdam-based researcher and MA student in European Studies at the University of Amsterdam, they specialize in the intersection of queer history and urban ecology. Her thesis, “Building Worlds from Waste,” investigates ecolesbian squatter movements and collective care in Amsterdam from the 1970s to the 1990s. In addition to their academic work, they serve on the board of Gay Swim Amsterdam, where they oversee Marketing and Communications. Their work is centered on documenting marginalized histories and supporting contemporary LGBTQ+ community spaces.
Marleen Rensen studied Arts and Sciences at the University of Maastricht and took her PHD at the University of Amsterdam. Currently, she is Associate Professor of Modern European Literature, teaching in the department of European Studies. She specializes in twentieth century literature and life writing, with a specific focus issues of identity and belonging.
