Help Bring Second Class Queer to Brighton Fringe Festival'25

Hi friends and supporters!

Hope you all are well.

Who am I?

I’m Kumar Muniandy, a second-generation Indian Malaysian with roots in Tamil Nadu, South India. My grandparents were displaced to Malaysia as labourers during British colonial rule, and my parents grew up as part of the low-working-class Tamil Malaysian community. I was born in Kuala Lumpur and moved to London in 2003 to pursue my dream of becoming an actor, earning a BA in Acting from The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2008.

Since graduating from drama school, I found myself consistently racialised as an actor, with few opportunities to showcase my full self. To challenge this narrative and create change, I wrote Second Class Queer, a solo theatre play that not only carves out opportunities for myself but also amplifies the voices of others with shared experiences. It’s a platform to tell the often-overlooked truths about our realities, fostering representation and dialogue.

When I was a kid, I always thought there was something wrong with me because I was attracted to men and had feminine traits. Because I was a "soft" boy, I was verbally and physically abused in kindergarten, school, on the playground, and in a family environment. I had to act carefully as a "macho" man who wanted to marry a woman. I still haven't told my parents I'm queer and gay. I always wonder when to tell my mother.

What is my play “Second Class Queer”?

Krishna is suffering from dating app fatigue, so he signs up for a real-life gay speed-dating event in Berlin. He spends five minutes with each of the five speed daters but finds himself caught off guard by his grief, unravelling as he speaks. Second Class Queer shares the experience of a queer, racialised gay man seeking to find love and healing in the Western world while carrying the scars of oppression from his homeland. His failure to come out to his late mother is a loss that lingers in ways he struggles to fully understand. He reflects on his personal journey from Malaysia to Germany, on the family and cultural heritage he has left behind, as well as on what it means to be racialised and queer in the West today. The play is funny and tender, riffing on gay sex politics among queer folks in Berlin and beyond - but also delivers beautifully on some heavy topics - the caste system, colourism, racism and the intersection of queerness, xenophobia and homophobia on a global scale.

How have audiences responded so far?

This play serves as a tool for activism and truth-telling, shedding light on the realities of those who cannot safely speak out against the violence they endure under oppressive anti-homosexuality laws. It also examines how systemic inequalities and cultural displacement affect the mental health of queer minorities in Western societies. The positive audience responses affirmed that healing and acceptance are reciprocal processes and have inspired me now to expand the play to the UK and beyond.

Click here to read the heartfelt feedback from 2022, 2023, and 2024 audiences.

What would it mean to perform at the Brighton Fringe Festival?

Performing at Ironworks Studios during the Brighton Fringe Festival in May 2025 will introduce this vital story to UK audiences and open doors to future runs across the country. Your support will help amplify marginalised voices and create space for stories that challenge, connect, and inspire.

Thank you for being part of this journey and your generous support!

With gratitude,

Kumar Muniandy

Total Amount Needed for Crowdfunding: £6,000.

The total cost for staging Second Class Queer at Ironworks Studios for the Brighton Fringe Festival 2025 is as follows:

1. Venue hire cost is £3,600 for the following dates:

*I need to pay a £900 deposit by the end of January 2025 to secure the booking and performance dates, with the remaining balance of £2,700 due by 19h April 2025, 14 days before the theatre hire begins*.

2. Brighton Fringe Festival registration fees + music usage licences + public liability insurance + accommodation & travel costs: £2000.

3. GoFundMe transaction fees (2.9% + £0.30 + VAT + tips charged for every donation made) + and additional contingency costs for emergency expenses like marketing materials, tech issues, or added logistics: £400.

Grand Total: £6,000.

How You Can Help

This project aims to give a voice to stories that are often untold and create a space for audiences to reflect and engage. By supporting this, you are helping to bring an important narrative to life on one of the UK’s most prestigious cultural stages.

In gratitude for your support, I will acknowledge your name in the programme and online and extend a personal invitation for you to attend the performance at a theatre near you.

Donate: Every contribution goes directly towards making this play a reality.

Share: Spread the word with friends and networks to help me reach more people.

Attend: If you’re in the UK during Brighton Fringe Festival 2025, come experience Second Class Queer live.

Together, we can make this happen. Thank you for believing in the power of storytelling and helping bring this important work to Brighton Fringe.

With gratitude,

Kumar Muniandy