Travis Alabanza – The performance artist turning expectations of trans performers upside down

Travis Alabanza has made vivid waves on London’s arts and theatre scene over the past couple of years, storming into places like the Tate and the Barbican, and splashing unapologetic neon creativity all over their stark brutalist walls.

To get an idea of Travis’s work, take a flyer for a really generic fringe show, by someone from North London who’s eaten one too many slices of sourdough, then copy & paste it into Microsoft Paint and invert the colours.

The word “subversive” is a bit overused, so instead let’s just describe Travis as SUBLIME. Their new show BURGERZ is several months and multiple makeup pallets in the making. Borne of an experience Travis had involving a burger being thrown at them, it addresses verbal abuse as well as physical, and explores preconceptions of gender, and how the public reacts to trans people.

We spoke to Travis to find out more.

Travis Alabanza Burgerz

BURGERZ has been in development for a few months now…what’s it been like to watch your own show evolve?

It feels like I’m leveling up. I can really focus on my craft and get everything I want out of it. It’s definitely changed. In the space of the last 18 months, I’ve starred in two theatre shows, had a national press campaign against me and done over 120 shows. So if I were making the same work I made 18 months ago, something would be wrong.

How has your work changed then?

Before, the focus was “all this bad shit is happening to me…how do I get it out into the world?” Now, through touring, I’ve loved comedy so much more. I’ve loved playing with the audience in a different way. And I think this new incarnation of BURGERZ will reflect that.

Travis Alabanza Burgerz

Well, you’re very funny.
Everyone fucking forgets that! I think the internet makes me look like I’d be no fun at a party, but I’m actually alright.

You’re literally running the show. What’s it like being in a position of authority?
Well, I never finished my business B-Tech at school, so I feel like there are some gaps in my knowledge. It’s quite scary, because this is the first time I’m making a show that has expectations behind it. I can hear the noise before I’ve even done it. It’s really nerve-wracking.

But you must have had a moment where you thought THIS IS AMAZING.
You know what, it was when we created the visual campaign for the show, the photos that have gone along with it. To be able to work with a team of six people on creating that shot. I sat back, with this team of people doing my hair and makeup and changing the sets and I was like “I really feel like a hundred per cent That Bitch.”

For people who don’t know the context of the show…give a brief summing up.

I came up with it two years ago, when someone threw a burger at me in broad daylight. I became quite obsessed with it – I feel like I’ve been chatting about burgers for fucking ages. Since then, there have been lots of conversations about trans politics, and trans people. It seems like now in the 2018 climate, we’re all obsessed with what’s happening with the trans community, and how we’re moving forward. There’s also been months and months of transphobic press…what I want to do with BURGERZ is explore what a show looks like when it’s NOT trying to respond to all these things. It’s not trying to convince people to respect trans people, it’s not trying to join the debate. It’s saying “this is what a show looks like when someone’s gone through all those things.” I’m taking the responsibility off myself, and putting it on the audience.

Travis Alabanza Burgerz

So let’s finish with this…what’s your end goal with the show?

When there are huge moments of tension within the community, I’m always interested in the art that comes out not DURING those times, but directly afterwards. I want trans people to be able to go on stage and not be censored, and not be forced to talk in a certain way. I want us to be able to take risks. I want us to be seen as full, valid artists and not just inspirational memes.

Burgerz, performed and written by Travis Alabanza and directed by Sam Curtis-Lindsay, will open at Hackney Showroom 23rd October – November 3rd.

Words: Dylan B Jones
Photos: Elise Rose
Makeup: Umber Ghauri
Styling: Mia Maxwell
Direction: Vasilisa Forbes

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