In a scandalous new queer opera, Conor Mitchell & The Belfast Ensemble delve into the seedy underbelly of Victorian London…
Dublin Jack – Jack Saul – is one of Ireland’s most infamous erotic exports. He ran a roaring trade as a rent boy working in Victorian London – exploiting his sexual currency, and cashing in on aristocratic desire.
A self described ‘professional Mary Ann’, Jack’s commitment to his work and exuberant lack of discretion eventually led to his arrest.
His outrageous trial sparked a moral panic that swept across the British Empire – bringing about a new wave of homophobic attitudes and brutal anti-sodomy laws – still reverberating around the world today.
With presentations in Dublin, London, and Belfast, this darkly comic work holds space to unpack the messy powerplays of agency, class, and colonialism tied up in queer Anglo-Irish identity.
- Outburst Queer Arts Festival
- The Black Box [Belfast]
- 14 November 2025
More information and booking: https://www.thebelfastensemble.com/dublin-jack
