‘Queer’ and ‘lesbian’ are terms that offer valuable interventions in the field of theatre and performance studies. Current scholarship largely does not account for an amalgamation of these two positions, but, as some female performers, such as Rosana Cade, are aligning their work with both terms, there is a need for a more nuanced discourse that accounts for an engagement with the histories ascribed to ‘queer’ and ‘lesbian’ in performance and what these terms offer. My doctoral research seeks to investigate whether the term ‘post-lesbian’ is beneficial for analysing contemporary practice that draws from both positions.

On 1 February 2014, Ireland's best-known queer performer, drag artist Panti (Rory O'Neill), delivered a ten-minute speech on the main stage of the Abbey Theatre following a production of James Plunkett's play The Risen People (1958). The oration was the last instalment in a series of so-called ‘Noble Calls’ programmed by the national theatre, in which invited artists, activists and public intellectuals spoke after the production about an issue of pressing concern. Plunkett's drama explores the impact on a family of the 1913 Dublin Lockout, during which approximately 20,000 people took to the streets in an industrial dispute over working conditions. Marking the centenary of the event, the production and its Noble Calls commemorated the original incident, while also encouraging reflection on the state of contemporary Ireland, and the public's aspirations for a country deeply affected by recent social, cultural and economic upheavals.