Resound Male Voices make their Brighton Fringe debut in May with Soundtrek, a devised show of choral music from all over the world set in….a pub!
The group will explore vocal music from all over the world including African, Irish and Swedish folk music, Indian raga, bossa nova from Brazil and bluegrass from Tennessee.
Stefan Holmström
Musical Director Stefan Holmström, said: “This is a fabulous opportunity for us to work on performance skills. Musically it’s also a challenge with so many different styles, and singing in 8 different languages!”
This is the first time Resound will perform in their own show during the Brighton Fringe and also its first time they will be working closely with a theatre director, Julia Roberts, to create a show built on the guys and the music they love to sing.
Julia Roberts
Director Julia Roberts, said:“It is such a joy to be working with Resound! They are a fantastic group of singers who are constantly challenging themselves to develop their sound. Now we are working to develop a new performance which aims to move away from the traditional ‘stand and sing’ format and we hope that the Brighton Fringe audience will love the concept and style of this new show as much as we have enjoyed creating it together.”
Founded in 2011, Resound Male Voices are based in Brighton & Hove and perform a diverse repertoire from baroque to bee bop. They actively welcome new members and run a thriving Facebook page.
Event: BRIGHTON FRINGE: Resound Male Voices present: Soundtrek
Where: The Old Courtroom, 118 Church Street, BN1 1UD
The University of Brighton and Eastbourne Boxing Club join forces to promote boxing to members of the LGBT+ communities and to research best practice for the entire country.
Free boxing classes are being offered in Eastbourne over four weeks in May with the aim of encouraging members of the LGBT+ communities and their friends to join regular club nights.
The event is being funded by the university’s Community University Partnership Programme and is supported by organisations including England Boxing, the university’s Springboard Grants Programme which provides awards to university Students’ Union-recognised societies and university sports clubs and teams, and Love Fighting Hate Violence, an anti-violence campaign launched by Dr Christopher R. Matthews and Dr Alex Channon, both senior lecturers at the university.
Dr Matthews, who researches gender theory, men’s health, drug use, violence, combat sports and inequality in the workplace, has organised the sessions and will be involved in coaching participants.
He said:“My research in boxing has used gender theory to highlight the way in which boxing spaces can be resistant to some of the social shifts that have happened in recent years in terms of issues connected to gender and sexuality.
“As a development of this work, I have wanted to do some action research which engages in tackling these issues. This project represents the first stage in a long-term process where I will produce research, guidelines and policy recommendations.
“England Boxing have been supportive of the work and I hope that once the research is concluded I will be able to work with them and other governing bodies to help spread best practice.”
The classes, an introduction to non-contact amateur boxing, will be held at Eastbourne Boxing Club in Commercial Road, Eastbourne.
Mark at Brighton Pride wearing Positive Voices t-shirt, with Positive Voices co-ordinator, Sue Riley.
Mark Hamilton, 44, was diagnosed with HIV sixteen years ago. After giving up alcohol three years ago, he now shares his story of living with HIV with young people locally, busting stigma and myths and promoting good sexual health.
Mark, from West Horsham, just outside of Brighton, said: “I gave up drinking three years ago, and as I became more sober I wanted to do something positive, related to my HIV. So at the end of 2015, I approached Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) about going into schools to give talks about HIV as part of their Positive Voices programme.”
“Kids are sponges, they soak up the information you’re telling them and the questions they ask can be jaw dropping. They are very aware of what is going on around them, probably from the internet, and curious to find out more. That’s why it’s really powerful for us to share our stories and educate them on sexual health.”
The Positive Voices programme, run by THT, empowers local people living with HIV to share their story in schools and colleges to increase awareness and knowledge among young people.
He added: “It feels really good to make young people aware of HIV. Many people don’t know about HIV until it becomes part of their life. I never make my talks all about the doom and gloom – I make them about empowering people to make the right decisions.”
Mark, who was born in the UK and grew up in South African explains how his HIV diagnosis was a shock.“I was diagnosed about 15 or 16 years ago while living in Cape Town. At the time I was binge drinking and probably taking risks because of this, but when I went for the test I had no idea I had HIV.
“Back then the treatment was unaffordable in South Africa – it was the same price as my rent. Just after my diagnosis I contracted TB. I really thought I was dying. I couldn’t take my HIV meds at the same time as my TB meds, so I had to stop taking medication for my HIV which was really risky.
He continued:“In 2005 I moved back to England but my drinking continued. It got worse and worse. I couldn’t walk down the street without feeling self-conscious. On the 10th January 2014 I was arrested for drink driving. It was the wake up call I needed, and I stopped drinking there and then.
When I talk at schools, I include the alcohol element, because young people need to know that alcohol can lead to you taking sexual risks that you might not otherwise take. For me, getting HIV was a result of my drinking.”
Stigma and myths still prevail around HIV, but with Mark’s talks, he is breaking down the stigma and separating fact from fiction.
“It is shocking that young people don’t know the difference between HIV and AIDS. I ask myself ‘how is that possible in today’s society?’
“There are still people run a mile when you tell them you are positive, and there are still people out there that say if you have HIV you shouldn’t work here. The ignorance is shocking.
“People also don’t understand what having an ‘undetectable’ viral load is or how important it is. Even gay men don’t know what it is.”
Mark has an undetectable viral load, which means the amount of HIV in his blood is reduced so much that he cannot pass on the virus.
“This is a game changer. It changes everything. There are opportunities that HIV+ men haven’t taken out of fear of infecting someone.”
Reflecting on his life today, Mark says:“People ask would I do things differently and I always say no. My HIV has put life in a better perspective, I’ve met wonderful people and I’ve had the chance to make a difference to young people.”
Following a 36 per cent increase in arrests for sexual offences between 2014/15 and 2015/16, Mayor of London urges those who experience this behaviour on public transport to ‘speak up’ and report all incidents.
A new hard-hitting campaign to encourage people to report unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport has been launched today by Transport for London (TfL), British Transport Police (BTP), Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and City of London Police (CoLP).
The campaign forms part of a programme of policing activity to eradicate unwanted sexual behaviour on London’s transport network.
Building on the success of the ground breaking 2015 Report it to Stop it film, which has been viewed more than 13 million times on YouTube alone, the new campaign underlines that every report matters, is taken extremely seriously and provides valuable information to help catch offenders. The film also warns potential offenders that they could be caught at any time.
The film has helped encourage women to come forward and report unwanted sexual behaviour that makes them feel uncomfortable – with a 36 per cent increase in arrests since its launch.
Since TfL and the police launched the Project Guardian partnership in 2013, with the aim of eliminating unwanted sexual behaviour from the transport network, the number of annual reports has doubled from 1,023 in 2012/13 to 2,087 in 2015/16.
Those who experience unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport do not always feel they will be believed or that the offender will be caught. The new campaign film has evolved to tackle head-on those misconceptions, highlighting how every report matters, is taken seriously and used by police to bring the offender to justice.
The film shows a successful businessman, presenting to colleagues in an office, his face is pixellated. Voices of women recalling their experiences of various types of unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport are heard. As each woman recounts her experience the man’s face becomes increasingly visible until he can be seen clearly. At the end of the film the man is apprehended by police, with his colleagues left in shock.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:“Keeping Londoners safe is my top priority and I want all women and girls to feel confident travelling on our transport network. This vital campaign highlights how any form of unwanted sexual behaviour is unacceptable, and victims must be given the right support when they report offences. By working together with partners, we can raise awareness of these crimes, give women and girls the encouragement they need to come forward, and bring perpetrators to justice. I urge Londoners to speak up and report unwanted sexual behaviour to the police immediately, if it happens to them.”
Siwan Hayward, TfL’s Head of Transport Policing, added:“We are determined to eradicate unwanted sexual behaviour on the transport network. It is never ok. We care about our passengers and the journeys that they make. Our new ‘Report it to Stop it’ film builds on our previous campaign’s success and encourages victims to come forward and report anything that makes them feel uncomfortable. No matter how insignificant they feel it may be, every report is taken extremely seriously by police and investigated so the offender can be caught and brought to justice.”
Rachel Griffin
Rachel Griffin, CEO of Suzy Lamplugh Trust, said:“I’m extremely pleased TfL and their policing partners continue to tackle this important issue. Unwanted sexual behaviour is unacceptable. I hope this campaign gives people the confidence to come forward and report incidents, with the knowledge that they will be taken seriously.”
As part of the campaign, dedicated action days are being carried out by TfL, BTP, MPS and CoLP at key station hubs across the Capital. At these events officers will be providing specific advice to the public on how they can report instances of unwanted sexual behaviour.
To report unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport, text 61016 or call police on 101 and give details of what, where and when.
Gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) public sector workers share first-hand accounts of coming out in the workplace, as part of a drive to inspire others to have the confidence to be open about their sexual orientation.
Students Saul Turner and Emilie Wright (second and third from left) with (from left) Paul Fitzgerald, Antonia Proudley, Elisabeth Britz, Paul Rana, Rosey Cox and Cllr Michael Payne, who all told their stories on film.
Staff and officials across local government, the NHS, emergency services and education tell their personal stories in a powerful film designed to encourage lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT+) colleagues to feel comfortable, and proud, to be out at work.
The film, featuring council staff, a leading councillor, police community support officer, firefighter, health worker and educationalist, has been produced by students at West Nottinghamshire College, Mansfield, as part of a project called Our LGBT+ Role Models.
The project has been spearheaded by the Nottinghamshire Diversity Champions Partnership, made up of organisations that have featured in equality charity Stonewall’s list of top 100 employers in the UK for promoting LGBT+ equality, plus a partnership organisation that displays positive practice.
Organisations include West Nottinghamshire College, Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Homes, Nottinghamshire Police, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS).
Results of Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 2017 – a confidential survey that drew 91,248 responses from employees across the UK – revealed that just 20 per cent of lesbian, gay and bisexual respondents in the East Midlands were comfortable being completely out in the workplace, which is the lowest proportion of any region of the UK. However, LGBT+ respondents who agreed they can be themselves in the workplace were more than twice as likely to be satisfied with their sense of achievement compared to those who disagreed (84 per cent compared to 38 per cent).
The role models project aims to challenge stereotypes and break down barriers that may exist and give LGBT+ employees the platform to be themselves, where they choose to do so.
The organisations came together in 2016 to share expertise, resources and training to further advance equality and diversity within their workplaces and one of their first projects was to produce a booklet featuring LGBT+ role models within their organisations. This has now been expanded to include a series of uplifting individual films showcasing role models’ own experiences and their advice to people in a similar situation, while celebrating the positive and inclusive culture within their organisations.
Media production students (from left) Matthew Hart, Saul Turner and Emilie Wright, who made the ‘Our LGBT+ Role Models’ film series.
The films have been produced by West Nottinghamshire College media production students Emilie Wright, Matthew Hart and Saul Turner as part of their course work. There is also a short, trailer-length version featuring interview clips and high-impact messages.
The series features city council project officer Rosey Cox, county councillor Michael Payne, housing company project liaison officer Christian Liquorish, police community support officer Antonia Proudley, firefighter Sean McCallum, healthcare trust senior occupational therapist Elisabeth Britz, the college’s head of student support Paul Rana, and EMAS’ equality and diversity manager Paul Fitzgerald.
The trailer-length film had its first public screening at the diversity partnership’s ‘Exploring Intersectionality and the Power of Roles Models’ conference, held at Nottingham Council House on Friday, February 24 2017, attended by almost 150 employees from the partnership organisations, plus members of the local LGBT+ community and their allies.
Following the launch, the films will now be used as promotional, training and awareness-raising tools by each organisation, and will also be available on their websites, social media and YouTube channels so they can be seen by external audiences.
Don’t be ashamed of who you are
The video campaign features people from a wide range of organisations, who share their own unique experiences of coming out.
Rosey Cox decided to reveal her sexual orientation to her colleagues a year after joining Nottingham City Council in 2004, after growing tired of “living a complete lie that I struggled to keep up with”.
Describing the experience as “definitely a good one”, she said:“People were interested in my life, in the real me. They took time to find out what it meant and how they could make it so that I was more comfortable at work.”
“Initially, I planned for the worst-case scenario on how people’s reactions would be, but it was the complete opposite,” added Ms Cox, who has a dual role as the authority’s LGBT+ lead.
Councillor Payne, who represents the Arnold North ward of Nottinghamshire County Council while also serving as deputy leader of Gedling Borough Council, made the decision to come out shortly after meeting his current partner.
“I just thought ‘If I’m going to stand-up for the values I believe in, I need to be true to who I am,'”he said.
Adding: “I discovered there is more support for people who are gay than I thought there was and, actually, it’s not really an issue. But since coming out, I’ve been more comfortable speaking about particular issues that affect minorities and particularly the LGBT+ community, because I can speak from experience.”
Working in an inclusive, supportive environment prompted Christian Liquorish to be open about his sexual orientation amongst colleagues.
He said:“The experience was very comfortable for me, because there were so many people around Nottingham City Homes that were supportive and understanding.”
The vice-chair of the organisation’s LGBT+ forum, added:“The advice I’d give to anybody who is LGBT+ is ‘never be afraid to speak out and don’t be ashamed of who you are. Be comfortable, be happy – and live your life.’”
PCSO Antonia Proudley felt comfortable in declaring her sexual orientation with colleagues upon joining Nottinghamshire Police in 2009.
She insists being gay has helped her engage with the LGBT+ community in the St Ann’s area of Nottingham, where she is based – from policing Pride events to helping young people “at a really low crisis point” due to struggling with their sexual orientation.
“I’ve been able to be empathetic and get on with them, so that’s been a big help,”said Ms Proudley.“It is so important to normalise being gay – that it is normal and it is acceptable.”
Firefighter Sean McCallum says revealing his bisexuality to his colleagues made him more productive at work.
The crew manager at Retford Fire Station, said:“I don’t spend time pretending to be something that I’m not, covering my tracks, worrying if somebody finds out about my difference in terms of sexual orientation. So I certainly felt, within a very short time of coming out in the workplace, that I was performing better. I was much happier.”
And while he’s proud to be part of the campaign, Mr McCallum hopes LGBT+ role models won’t be needed in future.
“That’s the goal for me – and to get to a point where sexual orientation is a non-issue,” said Mr McCallum, who is a former LGBT+ official on the Fire Brigades Union.
An “uncomfortable” past experience of being ‘outed’ by staff at a previous employer prompted Elisabeth Britz to come out to her colleagues at Rampton Hospital, near Retford, just weeks after joining Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in 2004.
“Professionally, it’s made a lot of difference. It means I can be myself; I’m not tip-toeing around trying to pretend to be one person at home and another person at work,” said Ms Britz, who is vice-chair of the trust’s sexual orientation equality steering committee.
“It’s meant that, hopefully, I can present a positive impression of who a gay woman is. People have a lot of stereotypes and hopefully I dispel a lot of those.”
EMAS equality and diversity manager Paul Fitzgerald has proudly lived as a gay man since coming out at the age of 14, more than 40 years ago.
He is equally proud of his involvement in the role models campaign, saying:“When I was growing up, I had no role models at all, other than the stereotype ‘camp’ characters that appeared on television and they were deemed to be deviants.
“So I think it is vitally important that young people – and people across the globe, really – have good role models so that they can see people who are just like themselves, who present no threat to society and just get on with their lives.”
Although he never actually hid his sexual orientation, Paul Rana chose to become West Nottinghamshire College’s face of the campaign as a way of coming out to colleagues.
And while he insists being out has made no difference to how he is treated by staff, it does help him to support students facing similar issues.
He said:“Sometimes, I have to deal with difficult safeguarding issues and some involve LGBT+ students. It’s sometimes tough hearing their experiences, and they can remind me of my own. This makes me even more determined to ensure they receive positive outcomes.”
The Our LGBT+ Role Models films were produced by West Nottinghamshire College media students Emilie Wright, 18, Matthew Hart, 19, and Saul Turner, 21, for an industry-related project designed to equip them with the skills and experience to work with real-life clients.
It saw the students – who are in the second year of the BTEC Level 3 in Media Production (Film and television) – script the interview questions, film out on location, and edit the footage in the college’s state-of-the-art editing suites.
Emilie, from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, whose ambition is to become a film director, said:“Personally, I didn’t know a lot about LGBT+ issues before this project, so we conducted research to prepare us for the interviews. It was interesting, but also quite sad, to discover there are people who feel they need to hide who they are in workplaces and with their friends.
“Hopefully, people thinking about coming out will watch the films and think ‘This is really inspirational; I’m going to show everybody who I am and not hide it anymore.’”
Saul, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, who wants to work as a film and TV editor, said:“We’re trying to remove any negativity and stigma surrounding the topic, and show people that it’s okay to be LGBT+ by putting it in a positive light. Once we started filming, people really started opening up and expressing themselves. I want the films to convey the same feeling we got when we were in the room listening to them. Above all, I hope it makes people think.”
Gogglebox stars Chris Steed and Stephen Webb joined in the fun to officially open Cats Protection’s first shop in Brighton.
Pictured L-R Mark Verity, Stephen Webb, Chris Steed and Lara Beumer. Photo by: Skye Brackpool
The cat-loving duo, who appear on the hit Channel 4 TV show, cut an opening ribbon and met shoppers, volunteers and staff when they dropped in to the shop’s opening day on Wednesday, March 8.
The store, in Beaconsfield Road, will stock good quality second-hand clothes, toys, books and household items. All proceeds will go to help care for unwanted and abandoned cats.
Chris, whose much-loved pet cat Ginge died in 2015, said:“I have a friend who volunteers for Cats Protection so I know how valuable it is that people donate items, money or even their time to help out Cats Protection shops like Brighton. It’ll make a big difference to unwanted cats.”
Stephen added:“I’m helping out today in memory of Ginge. He was a lovely cat and I’m doing this for him and all the other cats out there that still need Cats Protection’s help.”
Photo by Skye Brackpool
Fans of the Gogglebox pair can now enter a competition on Cats Protection’s Facebook page to win one of two fleece jumpers signed by the pair on the shop’s opening day.
What dogs can often be seen on the sofa with Chris and Steve during their Gogglebox?
Entries close on Friday, March 10 at noon, following which two winners will be drawn from the pool of correct answers.
Cats Protection is the UK’s largest cat charity, helping around 500 cats a day – or around 200,000 a year – through a national network of 32 centres and over 250 voluntary-run branches.
Lana Beumer, Manager of the new Brighton shop, said:“We’d like to say a huge thank you to Chris and Stephen and all our new friends and supporters in Brighton who made our opening day such a success. We’re really looking forward to meeting local people and anyone who would like to become a volunteer at the shop is more than welcome to pop in to find out more.”
The new shop, at 70a Beaconsfield Road, will be open Monday to Saturday from 9am until 5pm and on Sunday from 10am until 4pm.
Donations should be delivered during shop opening hours.
For more information or to check the items which can be accepted, call 01273 565675.
The Gay Men’s Dance Company’s (GMDC) stage their first annual variety showcase, starring GMDC members from London and Brighton, their choir, pole dancers and special guest acts.
Join them for an uplifting evening of fun and jazz-hands, as they take you on a journey through song, dance and spoken word reflective of gay life in 2017.
With over 300 active members, GMDC performers range from experienced dancers to their newest members making their performance debut.
All net proceeds will go to the Alex Scurr Foundation (ASF), raising money for existing LGBT charities and organisations. Current partners include: Dean St, London Friend, ELOP, Opening Doors, Positive East, GMFA, Wandsworth Oasis, Diversity Role Models and MindOut.
With the help of ASF, financial support will be provided for combating homophobia, chemsex and substance abuse while improving sexual health/wellbeing throughout the capital. Both prevention and fighting stigma of HIV, and mental health issues from depression and anxiety to relationship-building will also be included.
The ASF aims to create a more healthy and connected LGBT community.
Patrick Cash
Patrick Cash, from Attitude and 56 Dean Street, said: “A joyous and uplifting inspiration of what gay men can achieve together. Not only was the dancing captivating to watch, each number assembled with insight and expertise. The story of community that emerged from the spoken personal anecdotes were deeply moving. The GMDC may be viewed simply as a dance class from the outside, but evidently to its members the company provides both an outlet for passion and a treasured space of friendship, solidarity and love”
Dress code is fabulous. Stay on after the show finished and drink, dance and party with the cast until the early hours.
For the first time, the final years of one of the world’s most captivating rock showman are laid bare. With interviews from Freddie Mercury’s closest friends in the last years of his life, along with lots of never before seen personal photographs.
Here are previously unknown facts about the singer and his life, moving detail on his lifelong search for love and personal fulfillment, and of course his tragic contraction of a then killer disease in the mid-1980s. Woven throughout Freddie’s life is the shocking story of how the HIV virus came to hold the world in its grip, was cruelly labelled ‘The Gay Plague’ and infected thousands of men, women and children – Freddie Mercury himself being one of the most famous.
The death of this vibrant and spectacularly talented rock star shook the world of medicine as well as the world of music. Somebody to Love finally puts the record straight and pays detailed tribute to the man himself.
It is 1660. The Puritans revolution has ended. Charles II has exploded onto the scene with a love of all things loud, French and sexy. And at Drury Lane, a young Nell Gwynn is selling oranges for sixpence. Her wit catches the attention of the theatre director who teaches her acting, a brand new thing for a woman on the stage. Nell then catches the attention of the theatre’s patron, Charles II and become his mistress.
Nell Gwynn charts the rise of an unlikely heroine, from her roots in working class London to her success as Britain’s most celebrated actress, and her hard-won place in the heart of the king. But at a time when women are second-class citizens, and status is all, she has to use her charm and spirit to protect her from the dangers of the court, settling herself into a comfortable place and never stopping being frank and fighting for herself and her dignity. Writer Jessica Swale wrote this for the Globe and her vibrant take on life in the theatre in the 17th century is superb. Warm, funny, honest and with a lot of celebration of the theatre itself. It worked well in the confines of the Theatre Royal, the rococo accoutrements adding a touch of ancient theatrical atmosphere to this play.
The cast are superb, with not a bum note from them, their comic timing works well, there’s some delicious flights of crazy fantasy, the interactions between theatre and court, king and court and man and his women are handled with a subtle grace. There are some wonderful contemporary jokes which brought applause from the audience and plenty of laughter abounded. Swale has stuck firmly to the accepted history of Gwyn but added in a modern honest female perspective to allow us to see Gwyn as a real woman, in context of her restoration times, without any shame for her experiences and lead by her wit and charm.
Laura Pitt Pulford as Nell brings us a tender feisty women, knowing her value, resistant of societies mores and exploring the new opportunities given to women following the Puritan revolution. The relationship between Nell and King is believable and engages us from the start, there’s some superb cameo parts done with historical gusto, the indignant Queen; Catherine of Braganza was wonderful and the whole is a much bigger piece of theatre than its parts.
Its complex, multi layered but honest and my companion and I enjoyed the play immensely, it seemed longer than it was, in a good way holding our attention to the end, and the honest working lives of the actors on stage were as interesting as the machinations of the Stuart Court. Stuffed full of innuendo and political observations as accurate as they are funny it’s a lovely combination of the vulgar and the charming, a reflection of Gwyn’s character and the bawdy times she lived in. There’s no great exploration of Charles failings as a king, this is all about the lives of Women and it’s refreshing to see such a slew of well written female characters filled with life on stage.
The costumes and design from Hugh Durrant are sumptuous and give the right amount of royal swish to the evening and the music from Nigel Hess and the on stage musicians frames the action and changes of pace well, highlighting more emotional moments and giving a feeling of an earlier age at the Theatre. The English Touring Theatre who are producing this have done a great job in bringing this down to the Theatre Royal stage.
This was a warm and funny evening’s entertainment and a superb production of this delightful play by this talented crew. Certainty worth getting out and watching and being inspired and charmed by this reconstruction of restoration theatre and the ground breaking changes wrought by Nell Gwynn and her fellow players. The full house gave a huge roar of approval at the end and wandered out into the night humming Nell’s songs.
A Monkey With Cymbals & Orange Girl Productions present a double-bill of Restoration women to celebrate International Women’s Day.
The Masks of Aphra Behn
Aphra Behn – spy, writer and female libertine – a one-woman show.
It’s 1677 and an audience getting ready to watch Aphra Behn’sThe Rover are in for a surprise. For the show has been cancelled and in its place Aphra herself recounts the extraordinary tale of her time as a spy for King Charles II in the Dutch Wars, and how she became the first professional female writer. Complete with excerpts from Behn’s letters, poetry and plays, this vivid and thought-provoking one-woman show brings one of theatre’s most brilliant raconteurs back to life.
Written and performed by Claire Louise Amias and directed by Pradeep Jey.
Nell Gwyn: An Epilogue
The darling strumpet of the crowd. Nineteen-year-old Nell is celebrated for her comic acting but Charles Hart, her manager and former lover, keeps casting her in tragic roles in order to embarrass her in front of her new amour, King Charles II. So, aided by the audience in the Pit, she concocts a plan to win Hart round and consolidate her roles as both comedienne and king’s courtesan. A play about a woman’s choices and power – but mainly just good old bawdy fun.
With Lucy Formby as Nell, written by Laura Ingram and directed by Andrew Corelli Jones.
Event:The Masks of Aphra Behn and Nell Gwyn: An Epilogue
Where: Sweet Dukebox, The Iron Duke, 3 Waterloo Street, BN3 1AQ
When: Wednesday, March 8
Time: 6.30pm
Raise funds for Rise, the charity for victims of domestic violence
Following a 36 per cent increase in arrests for sexual offences between 2014/15 and 2015/16, Mayor of London urges those who experience this behaviour on public transport to ‘speak up’ and report all incidents.
You must be logged in to post a comment.