Friends,
Over the past few weeks, the Great Burlesque Exposition, along with its producer and staff, have been the victims of a vicious smear campaign perpetrated by some local producers. They have targeted performers who were cast in this year's event and who are members of traditionally under-represented groups. These "poision pen" letters falsely told those performers that they were neither safe nor welcome at The Great Burlesque Exposition. They described a fictitious history of misogyny, body-shaming, homophobia and other vile behaviors which are antithetical to the core philosophies of the Great Burlesque Exposition. Further, they implied that continuing participation in the event would be harmful to the performers' continued standing in the burlesque community.
Sadly, these fear-based attacks worked, and a number of performers withdrew. This snowballed and we have reached the difficult realization that we no longer have enough performers to present the event that we promised our audience or participants. It is with a combination of great sadness and great anger, that we are canceling the Burlesque Expo scheduled for April 2024. All tickets will be refunded.We do not know what the future holds. We thank you for your support and understanding and we hope to see you next year.
The Great Burlesque Exposition (or "BurlExpo") is an annual (well, mostly annual), multi-day event that brings performers, instructors, special guests, vendors, and aficianados of burlesque from all over the world to Massachusetts. This is our 15th exposition (but not our 15th year. It's complicated...) and our 3rd year in bewitching Salem, MA.
No matter how you're involved in burlesque, we hope you'll join us for three magical days and nights of classes, shows, shopping, community building, and more!
The Great Burlesque Exposition is committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all attendees, performers, and staff. By attending the event, you agree to abide by the following Code of Conduct:
By following this Code of Conduct, we can create a safe and welcoming space for everyone to enjoy The Great Burlesque Exposition. Additionally, although not explicitly connected to conduct, all attendees are expected to follow all rules and guidelines set forth by the event organizers and venue staff. Failure to do so may result in removal from the event.
Thank you for your compassionate cooperation and your participation in creating a positive experience for all attendees.