Justin Vivian Bond expands career into film and international residency

Acclaimed cabaret performer and 2024 MacArthur Fellow Justin Vivian Bond has recently expanded their career into narrative film and international residency. Bond, who alternates between they/them and she/her pronouns, relocated to Paris in early 2024, a move motivated in part by concerns regarding the political climate for transgender rights in the United States.

Bond recently completed a residency at Joe’s Pub in New York City featuring the production ‘Madame Stanley, or How I Was Dead-Named at the Clap Clinic,’ which draws from their experiences living abroad. Additionally, Bond made their feature-length acting debut in the film ‘Neverman,’ directed by Rodrigo Barriuso. The film, which explores themes of aging and involuntary detransition within the transgender community, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

In addition to these artistic milestones, Bond received an Honorary Doctorate of the Arts from Bard College in the spring of 2025. The performer continues to balance life between the United States and France, maintaining a presence in both the New York cabaret scene and the Parisian fashion and arts communities.