Tried and Tested
Bambi Phillips performing at ‘Salty Queer Joy’ by Alice Denny.
Tried & Tested
A Scratch Night for Daring Performance
When: Thursday 4th September 2025
Time: 7:30pm – 10:30pm (doors at 7:00pm)
Where: The White Rock Theatre Studio, Hastings, TN34 1JX
Ticket Price: £15 (plus booking fee)
One night.
Three artists.
Loads of new performance energy.
Tried & Tested is a scratch night bringing together two local artists and one invited guest to try out new ideas and share bold performance work in progress.
Both local artists were chosen through the Giddy Up open call - an opportunity for LGBTQ+ artists in the South East to take risks and test something new in front of (you!) a friendly audience.
At Tried & Tested, each artist will debut a performance up to 30 minutes in length. Between each performance there will be time to relax, grab a drink, and share feedback with the artist on what you thought.
Buy a ticket, support Hastings’ queer artists, and come to see where new performance ideas begin.
Artist Line Up
Work In Progress by Bambi Phillips
Bambi Phillips brings movement, drag and transformation to centre stage. Her dance theatre piece explores her relationship to the King of Pop Michael Jackson - an exploration of masculinity, rebirth, desire and the ever-changing experience of transexual embodiment.
Country Estate: A Gathering by Vanessa Farinha
A space to question our surroundings, the messages they are telling us and how we can work together to change the narrative.
For the past year, multidisciplinary artist Vanessa Farinha has been researching and creating work exploring the impact that the built environment has on a person’s experience of the world, specifically within social housing.
Sylvia, Or Who is The Goat? by Mary Malone
Part animal studies, part monologue, part pagan ritual. This goat has a story to tell.
Mary Malone is a trans actress from Suffolk, whose award winning career spans theatre, television, and film.
In her third year drama school showcase they cast her as a goat. Now it’s time to step into the hooves of the most controversial goat in all of theatre: Sylvia.
You may know the play. You may not. Either way, she’s ready for her reckoning.
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 Tried & Tested by Alice Denny.
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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.
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Bambi Phillips
Bambi is known for her contributions to the House and Ballroom scene, as UK Mother of the House of Laveaux.
Vanessa Farinha
A Multidisciplinary Artist, Vanessa Farinha works to explore the hybrid identity and how the spaces between definitions like class, nationality, and gender might create a space for understanding, dialogue & action.
For the past year, she has been researching and creating work exploring the impact that the built environment has on a person's experience of the world, specifically within social housing.
Vanessa recently completed the development programme with Flatland Projects x De La Warr Pavilion as well as commissions with Auto Italia and MOCA London galleries. She is also a mother and creative producer.
Mary Malone
Mary Malone (she/her) is a trans actress from Suffolk, who graduated from the BA Acting & Contemporary Theatre course at East 15 Drama School in 2020.
She was then awarded Best Graduate for Sky Arts Play In A Day, directed by Josie Rourke, during the pandemic.
Mary’s career spans theatre, television, and film. On stage, she has performed in acclaimed plays and musicals across London and the West End, with notable credits including Fangirls (Lyric Hammersmith), As You Like It (SohoPlace), Hope Has a Happy Meal (Royal Court), and Burnt at the Stake (Shakespeare’s Globe).
In television and film, Mary’s recent screen work includes Doctor Who (BBC), Vera (ITV), The Girlfriend Experience (STARZ), and most notably, her role as Aqua in Missing You (Netflix).
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