The 2025 hybrid DisabiliTease Festival will take place July 18-19!
Although this is the festival’s 5th year, it will be our second time having an in-person show!
Applications are open for performers, emcees, and instructors with disabilities for the 2025 DisabiliTease Festival, which will take place Friday, July 18, and Saturday, July 19, in Minneapolis, MN, and on Zoom!
The Friday, July 18 show will allow performers to gather and celebrate each other’s art with the local Twin Cities community in person. We are fundraising in order to secure the Capri Theater for this night. COVID-19 precautions will be taken to ensure the safety of everyone involved. It will also be live-streamed to continue to connect with performers and audiences worldwide.
On Saturday, July 19, the DisabiliTease Academy will host three in-person live-streamed workshops. That evening, the virtual Saturday, July 19 show will feature pre-recorded acts with a live emcee.
Applications will close on April 15th.
If you have any questions, you can email us at info@DisabiliTeaseFestival.com.
Learn more about our hybrid format.
(Performers who were accepted but were unable to participate in the 2020 virtual festival or the 2024 in-person festival will have the first right of refusal for a spot in the 2025 festival. After those confirmations, we will round out our 2025 festival line-up with acts from these application forms.)
Important notes
Pay
Performers are paid $75 for one act, with features and headliners receiving more. Emcees are paid $125, and instructors keep 80% of ticket sales.
Travel notes
Although we are unable to assist with travel costs, we are happy to provide letters of invitation to those of you considering applying for travel funding from your local arts organization.
Accessibility
We are fundraising to secure the Capri Theater again this year for our Friday show. The venue is wheelchair accessible for performers and audience members. There will be an ASL interpreter and live captions. Our Saturday show will also have an ASL interpreter and live captions.
Visit our FAQ page for more information on commonly asked questions!
Performer Housing/Billet
To ensure our talented performers have a comfortable place to stay, we are seeking volunteers willing to open their homes for traveling performers.
In exchange, you will have the opportunity to get to know a performer and receive a free ticket to the show. If you are interested in providing accommodation, please fill out our housing form. Your home does not need to be wheelchair accessible.
Another option is to donate towards an Air BnB or Vrbo for our performers to stay together. You can donate to our PayPal, Venmo, or CashApp.
Thank you for your support and hospitality.