Oval Office Bar

About

A queer basement bar in the Schauspielhaus Bochum, with a small stage at one end. The theatre houses it, but the bar itself is run by KosmoPolis, an association for queer night culture, and it is collective and non-commercial.

The till works on a solidarity principle: you pay what you can and want to. The room is shaped by women and trans people, antifascists and queers, and it is open to anyone in solidarity with them. Alongside ordinary bar nights there are formats built around who is in the room: an ANTI* First evening, an alcohol-free bar, a low-stimulus bar for people who want less noise and light, a shy people's bar, and a queer endometriosis table.

Getting in means stairs. The entrance is on the left-hand side of the Schauspielhaus, with one step at the door and then fourteen steps down to the bar, handrails on both sides. There is no lift and the toilets are not wheelchair accessible. Seating is mixed (benches, wooden chairs, armchairs, bar stools, a sofa), the light comes from a disco ball rather than strobes, and there are free hygiene products in the toilets.