Cult Your Nights Presents: Rent Party

Rent Party

Burlesque Meets Local Music Meets History in this Night that Changes Everything

This Black History Month, Durham audiences are invited to step inside a living piece of history as Cult Your Nights presents **The Rent Party: A Pigmeat Markham Revival**, an immersive neo-cabaret experience honoring legendary comedian and civil rights-era performer Pigmeat Markham.

Inspired by Harlem rent parties of the early 1900s — community-powered gatherings held to raise money for housing — the event blends burlesque, drag, spoken word, live music, and interactive storytelling to celebrate Black resilience, humor, and artistry as survival.

“Pigmeat Markham used laughter as a weapon against injustice. This show carries that legacy forward while addressing modern-day gentrification, housing insecurity, and the power of Black joy in Durham,” says producer JoRose of Cult Your Nights.

Guests will be guided through the evening by a Pigmeat-inspired host known as *The Judge*, who invites the audience to participate in satirical ‘Apartment Court’ proceedings and living history moments throughout the night.

“Here Comes the Judge… and the revolution.”