Stripped Crusaders, Vivacious Villainy, Royally Nude and Novel-Tease–these are the unique, nerd-culture oriented burlesque performances taking place at the NOLA Nerdlesque Festival on Nov. 15 and 16. This year marks the fifth annual Nerdlesque Festival, a time when burlesque performers from around the world gather in New Orleans to satirize pop culture with their intricately planned burlesque shows.

Kicking the festival off on Friday Nov. 15 at 8 p.m., Stripped Crusaders will present a superhero themed show. Following this performance, Vivacious Villainy, a show dedicated to dastardly villains, will start at 10:30 p.m. On Nov. 16, at 8 p.m., Royally Nude will take the stage, with a performance of kings, queens and other royals, both fictitious and historic. Closing out this year’s festival, Novel-Tease goes on at 10:30 p.m., when they will lampoon famous literary characters. 

NOLA Nerdlesque is hosting three workshops this year, including Hosting in Character, a workshop taught by Vincent Gallant, Movement Meditation, taught by Foxie Le Fleur and Unholy Unhinged: A Workshop on Eliciting Fear and Unease through Dance, taught by Rhapsody Blue. All workshops are being taught between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16 at the Allways Lounge (2240 St. Claude Ave.).

The NOLA Nerdlesque Festival’s performances will take place at the Allways Lounge’s Twilight Theater. General admission tickets are $15. Admission to NOLA Nerdlesque Festival is restricted to ages 18 and older. For more information about the festival, and for ticket prices, visit the festival’s website, here.