TESTO by Wet Mess + The Afters Lounge

TESTO by Wet Mess
+ The Afters Lounge

When:Saturday 12th July 2025
Time:8:00pm – Midnight (doors at 7:45pm)
Where:The White Rock Theatre, Hastings, TN34 1JX
Ticket Price:£15 / £25 Pay It Forward (plus venue booking fees) *

BSL interpreted.

Trans Pride Hastings and Giddy Up present the full-length performance of TESTO by Wet Mess, followed by The Afters Lounge - a special late-night bar just for Trans Pride.

TESTO is the fever dream from drag icon and genderpunk shapeshifter Wet Mess – a chaotic, sweaty, hilarious and moving ride through transitions, testosterone and the blurry edges of drag. 

Somewhere between character and self, performance and reality, Wet Mess pulls us into a world of moustache meals, desktop dreams, dykey desires and underwhelming overwhelm. Where the magical is in the mundane, and made-up shit becomes very, very real.

“Wet Mess shows are not only thrilling and wild, but somehow sweet and life-enhancing.” - The Guardian

Then the party continues upstairs at The Afters Lounge – a brand new speakeasy bar where you can unwind and enjoy feathers and rhinestones from cabaret favourite Nyongbella.

While this event is part of Trans Pride Hastings, everyone is invited - LGBTQ+ folks and allies, come through (and if you can, please buy a Pay It Forward ticket to support your Trans community).

Part of Giddy Up, bringing daring performance from LGBTQ+ artists to the stages of Hastings - queer at heart, welcoming to all. View the full Giddy Up 2025 line up.

Photos from TESTO in Hastings by Alice Denny.

• Access Information

  Testo by Wet Mess will have a BSL interpreter and is for audiences 18+.

  Limited Income Tickets: Pay What You Can tickets and complimentary tickets for LGBTQIA+ folks with limited income are available via the Trans Pride Hastings website https://transpridehastings.uk/

  The venue has step-free access, an accessible toilet and a clearly marked gender-neutral toilet. This is a relaxed performance - movement, noise and coming and going are all totally fine.

• Evening Rundown

  Main House opens at 6:30pm
  

  Doors for TESTO in the Studio open at 7.45pm
  

  TESTO from 8.00 - 9.00pm
  

  The Afters Lounge bar with performance from Nyongbella upstairs from 9.00pm - Midnight

• Artist Bio

  Wet Mess creates performance and film that sit at the edges of drag, cabaret and performance.

  In 2023, they performed at the Royal Court as part of Sound of the Underground by Travis Alabanza and Debbie Hannan, and in Galatea by Emma Frankland as part of Brighton Fringe. They won the prestigious Not Another Drag Competition at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in 2021 and have performed at queer venues in the UK and Internationally.

  Recently they choreographed a music video for Tove Lo, and have worked on movement direction for artists such as Will Young, London Grammar, and Wolf Alice.

• Content Notice

  TESTO contains strobe lighting, haze and moments of complete darkness. It also includes nudity, strong language and verbal references to transphobia. Some set and props are made from latex.

• A Trans Pride Hastings x Giddy Up Collaboration

  Giddy Up takes over the stages of Hastings with a line-up of daring, defiant performances that are queer at heart, welcoming to all. Check out the full Giddy Up 2025 lineup.

  Trans Pride Hastings was established in 2023 as the first official Trans Pride for Hastings, St. Leonards and the surrounding areas. It creates spaces, activities and experiences for the Trans and Non Binary community with a focus on community building, support and celebration. https://transpridehastings.uk/

• Credits

  Commissioned by The Yard Theatre, Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridge Junction and Raze Collective. 

  Supported by Battersea Arts Centre. 

  Produced by Metal & Water.

  Creator Wet Mess
  Production Nancy May Roberts & Lucia Fortune-Ely, Metal & Water
  Collaborator and Production Coordinator Miz Barber
  Costume Design Lambdog1066
  Sound Design Baby
  Set Design Ruta Irbīte
  Lighting Design Joshie Harriette
  Dramaturg Travis Alabanza
  Poster Design Josh Quinton
  Trailer Kunstraum Productions, Stefan Venturi
  Logo Design Bora
  BSL Development Grace Buckle
  PR Joy Parkinson

  Interviewees/Inspirations: Trans Punk Elder, Baby, Angel, Shrek666, Santi Sorrenti, Danni Spooner, Sue Maclaine, Svar Simpson, Felix Mufti, Ben Vyle, Envy the Queen, and Grandma Mess.

  Thanks to: Danni Spooner, Duffy, Eve Stainton, Ursula Martinez, Anthony Simpson-Pike, Jay Miller, Ged.

  Image Credit: Wet Mess performing TESTO taken by Lesley Martin.

Explore Related