The Ministry of Burlesque are the UK’s premier organisation for burlesque theatre. Formed in 2002, MoB led the vanguard of the new resurgence and now continue to ‘raise the barre’ of professional production, performance and education.

Born out of a passion for provoking the status quo, and to celebrate the diversity of all bodies, MoB was created to:

encourage authentic self-expression,

challenge body, beauty and gender identity ‘norms’,

nurture confidence in a new era of burlesque.

As a pioneering organisation for modern burlesque theatre, MoB have been advocating both the genre’s long legacy and modern power as socio-political satire – with many ‘firsts’ and accolades in our own history.

We have enjoyed national sell-out theatre tours, ‘Best Show’ awards, sell out runs and 5 star acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe, guest appearances at London Fashion Week, international peer recognition and many high profile media and press engagements as both an “authority” (BBC R4, BBC2, BBC4, ITV, Ch4, EMI) and as exemplar entertainers. We have also supported the emergence of many UK stars, shaped and influenced best practice, brought burlesque back to the oldest surviving intact Victorian Music Hall (the Britannia Panopticon), created and sold out the first new original Victorian burlesque and contrastingly, we were the first British judges to sit on the panel for the Burlesque Hall of Fame (formerly ‘Miss Exotic World’) contest in Las Vegas (2007).

Adulation for MoB



“…an elegant masquerade of the past and an homage to taste and irony.”

La Repubblica Delle Donne, Italy

“Hilarious. A Wonderful show. I loved it.”

Ben Elton

“An authority on burlesque theatre.”

BBC Radio 4

“Ground breaking”

Time Out London

“Best Show of the Year 2013”

Royal & Derogate Theatre

“Sell Out Success Award”

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2008

“Ministry of Burlesque is London’s leading school and social networking portal for aspiring burlesque artists”

The Independent

“For burlesque, you need the Ministry of Burlesque and it’s fearless leader – the fabulous Kittie Klaw”

Time Out

“Founder of the resurgent burlesque movement”

The Evening Times

“Ministry of Burlesque work tirelessly to nurture Britain’s next generation of burly starlets. The MOB is the country’s premier and foremost portal for information sharing; for all things burlesque, cabaret and vaudeville.”

Immodesty Blaize