Fisher Center Artist and Honorary Doctor of the Arts Justin Vivian Bond Profiled in the New York Times
Bond, who recently moved to Paris, is performing a month-long residency at Joe's Pub in the East Village. Photo by Kyle Kupres
Fisher Center Artist and Honorary Doctor of the Arts Justin Vivian Bond was profiled in the New York Times on the occasion of her monthlong residency at Joe’s Pub in New York’s East Village. As part of the residency, Bond is premiering her new show, “Madame Stanley, or How I Was Dead-Named at the Clap Clinic,” inspired by a recent incident that took place in Paris, where she recently moved. The famed singer, actor, and cabaret performer received an Honorary Doctor of the Arts from Bard in Spring 2025; in 2024, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.
Bond first achieved notoriety as Kiki DuRane, part of the stage duo Kiki and Herb, with Kenny Mellman playing Herb. She has since released various records and performed widely, including as part of a long relationship with the Fisher Center and Bard College. Bond curated and hosted the Spiegeltent season for five years, regularly performing in sold-out summer shows there, and taught in Bard’s undergraduate Theater and Performance Program.
As detailed in the New York Times article, Bond left the United States for France when NYU Langone Health hospital ended its program providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth. Bond, who is trans, stars in an upcoming feature film—their first in a leading role—which she says is “about being detransitioned without your consent, which I think a lot of people are more worried about now than they were last year.”
Bard’s Theater and Performance Program offers an interdisciplinary, liberal arts-based approach to the making and study of theater and performance, and embraces a wide range of performance practices, from live art and interactive installation to classical theater from around the globe.
Post Date: 09-16-2026
Bond first achieved notoriety as Kiki DuRane, part of the stage duo Kiki and Herb, with Kenny Mellman playing Herb. She has since released various records and performed widely, including as part of a long relationship with the Fisher Center and Bard College. Bond curated and hosted the Spiegeltent season for five years, regularly performing in sold-out summer shows there, and taught in Bard’s undergraduate Theater and Performance Program.
As detailed in the New York Times article, Bond left the United States for France when NYU Langone Health hospital ended its program providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth. Bond, who is trans, stars in an upcoming feature film—their first in a leading role—which she says is “about being detransitioned without your consent, which I think a lot of people are more worried about now than they were last year.”
Bard’s Theater and Performance Program offers an interdisciplinary, liberal arts-based approach to the making and study of theater and performance, and embraces a wide range of performance practices, from live art and interactive installation to classical theater from around the globe.
Post Date: 09-16-2026