From Queer Fear to Queer Joy: The Creation of I Was A Teenage Bisexual

How does a ghoulish bi guy decide to make a one-person stage mashup of vintage horror films and ‘90s teen movies where he plays every single character (including three pre-recorded cheerleaders)? Well, let me tell you…

In 2023, I was shortlisted for the opportunity to create a spoken-word show. As a bisexual man with a love of dark folklore, I had a vague idea about combining these two aspects of me. The vibe I had in mind was a moody, poetic, beautiful, multimedia-driven contribution to a growing genre I like to call Queer Fear.

In a refreshing twist on the hideous process of creative applications, us shortlisted creatives were gathered in a lovely Shropshire church hall to meet and partake in workshops over a weekend, before pitching our project ideas to the panel… plus all the other candidates. For whatever reason, while sipping a flat white over breakfast as I went over my pitch, I decided it would be the ultimate attention grabber to announce in an old-Hollywood trailer voice:

“Out there, somewhere, is a creature so horrifying that ordinary humans dare not speak its name. A creature that is totally imaginary but whose harm is very real. A creature that is manipulative but confused. Ravenous but dissatisfied. Infectious but invisible. That creature is… THE BISEXUAL.”

It brought the house down. Maybe I was onto a winner. Well, the winner of the competition was a Swedish physicist with the notion of creating a folktale to warn future generations, thousands of years after the downfall of contemporary languages and civilisations, of the dangers of nuclear waste. Kudos to her, tbh – my little thing about being tormented bisexually was no match for a piece that might literally save lives.

But I was so encouraged by my peers’ response to my pitch to make this project happen. I forced myself to apply for the Arts Council’s Develop Your Creative Practice fund. In that application, I highlighted the lack of bi rep, and the negativity embedded in what little there was. I armed myself with statistics from both Lo Shearing’s Bi The Way and Vaneet Mehta’s Bisexual Men Exist. I was awarded the funding.

After recovering from the shock, I set about creating that moody, poetic, beautiful, multimedia-driven piece. But then I recalled the response to my pitch in that Shropshire church hall. It was the humour people had responded to. I realised I could make more impact satirising bigotry than preaching earnestly to the choir.

Inspired by old movies such as I Was A Teenage Werewolf, I created a story around a questioning youth named Junior in a small town where bisexuals are deemed folkloric monsters, simultaneously feared and disbelieved by cishet society. I Was A Teenage Bisexual had its first, script-in-hand sharing at The Glitch in Waterloo, before going on to be performed at the Buxton Fringe Festival, the Edinburgh Horror Festival and London’s GrimFest. It was nominated for Best New Writing in Buxton.

While I had workshops and development sessions with professional creatives during my funding period, and a pal provided some terrific sounds, this iteration of the show was very much “one-man band”.

As a generally self-funded creative who was unable to develop and tour the show further, I set it aside as I moved onto my next solo pieces – stripping my practice down to as bare as the bones could get. A case of “If I can carry the show with me on a Flixbus, I can do it.” 

But my bisexual beast wouldn’t stay buried. In 2026, I applied for a Project Grant from the Arts Council and, to my amazement, I got that too. I could now develop my show with a brilliant team of (mainly queer) creatives, including a video artist for projected visuals. And we’re going on tour, in the hope that we’ll reach as many LGBTQ+ audiences as we can. In these scary times, it’s important to remember we have each other. I hope my slice of queer fear brings others as much queer joy as it has brought me.

I Was A Teenage Bisexual is touring to London, Nottingham, Sale (Greater Manchester) and Wolverhampton in October and November. Find out more at polisloizou.com/iwatb. 

I Was A Teenage Bisexual comes to London from 14th – 19th October at LowMAC (formerly The Glitch), 134 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7AE, United Kingdom.