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Pushing boundaries, celebrating bodies, and fostering a community of inclusivity, Posey’s Big Fat Cabaret champions the art of drag with a fresh, fat liberationist twist
Posey, also known as Mitzi Fitz, is a dynamic genderqueer performer, drag artist, and founder of Big Fat Cabaret. Their work blends drag, clowning, and kink-focused burlesque to create performances that celebrate body diversity, humor, and queerness.
Posey's Big Fat Cabaret platforms fat, queer, and trans performers, providing a rare, fat-centric space for both artists and audiences to thrive. As a renowned figure in the kink scene and a vocal advocate for fat representation in performance art, Posey creates spaces where fat bodies are normalized, celebrated, and empowered. Through their work, Posey inspires body confidence and fosters community, encouraging others to take up space and challenge societal norms.
They sat down with Sassy host Bethany Burgoyne to discuss their journey so far and what motivations them regarding performance, community and kink.
Breaking Boundaries: Posey's Genderqueer Drag Persona
Posey, also known as Mitzi Fitz, is a rising star in the cabaret world, and they are redefining what it means to be a drag performer. Posey’s creation of Mitzi Fitz—a character they describe as "weird and wonderful"—is an embodiment of the richness of genderqueer drag. Mitzi is an aging New York diva, larger-than-life, with a comedic flair deeply rooted in clowning and character work. As Posey explains, "Mitzi is the best part of me... she’s high-status but somehow never loses her power, even while being humiliated on stage."
There’s a queering of drag happening, especially in the drag king and thing spaces, and it’s not just about looking beautiful—it’s about being weird, surreal, and absurd
Mitzi’s character stands in stark contrast to the traditional, cis-male-dominated drag queens seen in mainstream culture, often focused on hyper-feminine aesthetics. Posey’s approach is more about pushing boundaries and embracing absurdity. "There’s a queering of drag happening, especially in the drag king and thing spaces, and it’s not just about looking beautiful—it’s about being weird, surreal, and absurd," Posey explains. Mitzi Fitz challenges societal expectations of drag and gender norms, paving the way for a more inclusive and diverse cabaret scene.
The Creation of Big Fat Cabaret: A Fat-Centric Celebration
Big Fat Cabaret is Posey’s brainchild, a cabaret dedicated to fat performers of all disciplines, centering the voices of queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming individuals. The cabaret's success highlights the importance of fat-centric spaces in performance art. "Fat spaces are so rare, and even rarer in performance," Posey notes. "I wanted to create a community of fat queer people who make amazing art and comedy together." Big Fat Cabaret emerged not only to highlight fat bodies but also to offer a space where these people are celebrated for their talents, not just their size.
Fat spaces are so rare, and even rarer in performance. I wanted to create a community of fat queer people who make amazing art and comedy together.
For Posey, Big Fat Cabaret isn’t just a personal project but a vital community space where fat performers and audiences can feel seen and represented. "It’s euphoric to be surrounded by bodies that look like your own," they share, explaining how in these spaces "I want fatness to be celebrated but also incidental. I want us to be able to perform things that aren’t just about our fatness because fat people can be anything."
The significance of a space like Big Fat Cabaret lies in its ability to both elevate performers and inspire others. Posey recounts that after every show, at least one audience member approaches them, saying, "I didn’t realize I could be a performer until I saw Big Fat Cabaret." This realization is profound, as it speaks to the visibility and empowerment that fat-centric spaces offer.
Challenges of Representation and Body Confidence
Posey’s journey to creating fat-centric spaces and performing as a genderqueer drag artist hasn’t been without its challenges. In an industry that often prioritizes thin, cisgender, and able-bodied performers, being a fat, genderqueer individual presents unique hurdles. "In so many spaces, fatness is something that makes you visibly 'other,'" Posey explains. "You’re always aware that your body is an outsider, and spaces that center bodies like mine just don’t exist."
Part of the mission behind Big Fat Cabaret is to challenge this invisibility and offer a counter-narrative to the dominant performance culture. The goal is to normalize fat bodies on stage, showing audiences that fat performers are just as capable, talented, and worthy of celebration as their thinner counterparts. Posey shares that one of the most important aspects of creating this space has been providing performers a stage where their fatness isn’t the defining factor—rather, their talent takes center stage. "I love when a fat performer comes on and does something beautiful, where their fatness is just incidental."
Inspiring Future Generations of Fat Performers
Posey is well aware of the impact Big Fat Cabaret has had, not only on their career but on the broader performance community. The cabaret’s success has sparked interest in creating more opportunities for fat performers, leading to Posey’s ambition to expand into workshops and mentorship programs for new fat performers. "There are so few fat performers out there, and we need more of us," Posey emphasizes. "If someone comes up to me after a show and says they want to perform now, I want to help them make that happen."
We need more fat bodies in these spaces and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that happens.
By providing a platform and resources for fat performers, Posey hopes to cultivate a new generation of talent that can further challenge the stereotypes and restrictions placed on fat bodies in performance. Their work is part of a larger movement toward body inclusivity in the arts, encouraging fat individuals to take up space and perform without fear of judgment or exclusion.
In a world where representation matters more than ever, Posey is leading the change, ensuring that fat, genderqueer performers not only have a space to shine but a community that celebrates them for all that they are.
Keep up to date with Posey's work on IG @mosey_moo
Get to know Mitzi Fitz @mitzi.fitz
Check out Big Fat Cabaret online and be sure to grab a ticket for their upcoming show on 18th October - ticket link here
You can also see Posey in action on 20th October at Catnip - link here for more details
Interview and portraits by Bethany Burgoyne
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