Sex Worker Mermaid Musical ‘Fish Girl’ to Open June 24 in NYC

BROOKLYN, NY—Acclaimed sex columnist, AVN Award nominee, and Bay Area-based sex worker Siouxsie Q presents Fish Girl, which will enjoy its New York premiere and run at Brooklyn’s Brick Theater June 24–28. The “sex worker mermaid musical,” created by Q and presented by the Bathtub Theatre Company, will be part of a new summer festival at the Brick, aptly titled “F*ckfest.” Fish Girl is the culmination of three years of long distance collaboration between Q and Sean Andries, director of The Circus Project in Portland, Oregon. The show explores themes of sex work through the lens of fantasy, weaving a fairy tale of a lovestruck tourist (Andries) who falls into the deep end when he meets the girl of his dreams (Q), who is half fish, half girl, half real, half dream, half in this world, and half out. Through the interaction between Andries and Q, the musical presents an allegorical look into the hopes, dreams, and fears of a sex worker and the one who loves her. "I starting writing the songs for Fish Girl right around the time I entered the sex industry," said Q. "I used the myth of the mermaid as a way to explore and navigate the stigma (both internal and external), which I was discovering came with my new profession. Both mermaids and sex workers are often seen as hyper-sexualized, mysterious beings that are possibly dangerous and decidedly not quite human. "My collaborator and best friend, Sean Andries, was also navigating what it meant to be a loving ally to a sex worker during this time," she continued. "The result is this play, about loving a sex worker in a world which says it isn't possible." Fish Girl features original ukulele songs written and performed by Q, as well as shadow play, physical comedy, antique slide projections, and high drama. The musical has played to sold-out audiences in both San Francisco and Portland, and garnered a “Best of the Fringe” award at the 2013 San Francisco Fringe Festival. The San Francisco Chronicle called the musical “charmingly difficult, growing more beguiling as myths and realities shift,” and the SF Weekly said, “Fish Girl solidifies Q as a quintessentially San Francisco artist—sexy, dirty, DIY—working in highbrow art spaces… and threading them with lowbrow undertones. The play… is a platform for Q’s activism as much as it is for her whimsy.” BroadwayWorld heralded the musical, saying “Q works on the cutting edge of fantasy.” To view a promotional video for the musical, click here. From Savage Love to CNN, Q has garnered a lot of attention since she launched her acclaimed podcast, “The WhoreCast,” in the fall of 2012. Q’s prolific writing can be seen in her regular column for SF Weekly, “The Whore Next Door,” as well as in her feature pieces for Ratter, Eros Media, and Slixa. Q’s mission is to humanize people in the sex industry by giving opportunities for sex workers to share their stories, voices, and art. Fish Girl is part of her continuing efforts to entertain as well as inform her audiences about sex work, stigma, and acceptance. "I was raised in the theater, and it's always been a dream of mine to perform my original work in New York," says Q. "This run of Fish Girl is a dream come true." Fish Girl will enjoy its run at the Brick Theater, 579 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211. Tickets ($18) may be purchased in advance; for more information on the show, click here or call the theater directly at 718-285-3863. Fish Girl may also be followed on Facebook.