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Month: August 2019

PREVIEW: Morning Glory @Legends

Posted on by Brian Butler

David is 50-something and at ease with his gay self.

THAT is until he joins his friends to celebrate the 60th birthday of one of them in a drinking and dancing night at Clapham’s famous Two Brewers pub.

Fresh from his morning-after shower he talks directly to us and recounts the unfolding story of the night before.

What Andrew Kay has written, and Jason Sutton performs, is a brief tale of humour, joyful humanity, with a sense of history and equality.

It’s not a story on a Shakespearean scale, but rather a beautifully crafted chamber piece, which on its only Brighton outing, fitted snugly in the downstairs club/bar at Legends.

The story is a very typical and topical one – a group of twinks poke fun at the older bunch of men and David eventually takes control and confronts them. What follows is a poignant and emotional analysis of how today’s LGBT+ population owe a huge debt of gratitude to David’s generation, who suffered hatred, violence and the death sentence of HIV/Aids.

Allan Cardew’s direction is light and insightful and such is the power of Jason’s performance, that the actor has us in the palm of his hand throughout – making us laugh and leading us towards tears and his own redemption.

Andrew has given Jason some cracking lines and David is a very shrewd observer of the gay scene, reserving some of his sharpest comments for the twinks – or “muscle Marys and fit fairies” as he denotes them.

But Jason doesn’t make David smug or nasty. Looking in the mirror he comments “average looks never fade.”

He tells the youngsters “when I was your age I wasn’t going to the gym; I was going to funerals.”

The play is never heavy-handed and in its final moments there is a joyful happy ending in more ways than one.

Andrew is busy writing a companion piece for a younger actor and it deserves an outing alongside Morning Glory, a 5-star miniature drama of the highest quality.

Review by Brian Butler

PREVIEW: Kick It Out campaign commissions new play

Posted on by Contributor
Laurie Cunningham
Laurie Cunningham

Kick it Out, football’s equality and inclusion organisation, commissions new play about footballer, Laurie Cunningham to coincide with Black History Month UK, 2019.

THE play will be performed in Sussex at The Hawth Theatre Crawley on October 30 and The Marlborough Theatre Brighton on November 16.

As part of the 25th anniversary of its foundation to combat racism in football Kick it Out has commissioned a new play based on the extraordinary and inspiring life of Laurie Cunningham to coincide with Black History Month UK 2019.

Written by award winning playwright Dougie Blaxland and directed by Roughhouse Theatre Getting the Third Degree will begin a month’s nationwide tour of the UK in October and will be staged in Sussex at The Hawth Theatre Crawley on October 30 and The Marlborough Theatre Brighton on November 16.

This compelling new drama tells the powerful and deeply moving story of Laurie Cunningham who came to prominence with West Bromwich Albion in the late 1970’s.

The first of the black footballing trio famously dubbed The Three Degrees – Laurie Cunningham with his swaggering style and dazzling skills forced favourable comparisons with the legendary Pele.

He was the first ever millionaire black footballer, the first player of colour to sign for the mighty Real Madrid and only the second to win a full cap for England. He inspired a whole generation of young black players to follow in his pioneering footsteps.

In dramatising Laurie Cunningham’s meteoric rise to stardom Getting The Third Degree also explores how he and his fellow black players – Brendon Batson and Cyrille Regis – triumphed over the racial abuse and physical threats often orchestrated by The National Front through a potent combination of footballing brilliance, charismatic style and  compelling dignity.

Incorporating 1970’s funk, soul, blues, jazz/jive dance, football songs/chants, contemporary commentary and social and political speeches Getting The Third Degree is a powerful piece of total theatre that vividly recreates a tense and troubled period in the history of football and the wider society.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Laurie Cunningham’s niece, Rhodene Cunningham said: “We are delighted that Kick it Out has commissioned this new stage play about Laurie’ s life. He was a very special man loved by us all and we hope that his pioneering story will be an inspiration to everyone who comes to see the production”.

With the resurgence of racial abuse at football  matches and in wider society in the UK playwright Dougie Blaxland believes that “although Getting the Third Degree dramatises events that took place over 40 years the issues that the play raises are every bit as relevant today as they were then.”

Roisin Wood
Roisin Wood

Roisin Wood, Kick it Out’s Chief Executive, believes that: “in an organisation committed to changing deeply embedded attitudes you cannot simply repeat the same message in the same way year after year. The commissioning of this play is an attempt to  engage new audiences in our ongoing mission to combat racism in football. The more fans and followers of football we can encourage to see this exciting production the greater its impact will be.”

The play will be co-directed by Roughhouse Theatre’s joint Artistic Directors Shane Morgan and Moira Hunt who have worked with Blaxland on three other productions with sporting themes: Hands Up for Jonny Wilkinson’s Right Boot commissioned by the Rugby Football Union for the 2015 World Cup, When The Eye Has Gone written for the Professional Cricketers’ Association as part of its Mind Matters campaign and The Long Walk Back (the Chris Lewis story) which toured the UK to critical acclaim earlier this year.

The part of Laurie Cunningham, and all the other characters in his story, will be played by an ensemble cast of Emile Clarke with Sabrina Laurison and Zara Gabbidon.

Event: Getting the Third Degree by Dougie Blaxland

Where: Marlborough Theatre, Princes Street, Brighton

When: Saturday, November 16

Time: 7.30pm

Cost: £12/£10

Tickets available on the door on the night.

If you have a Companion/PA then they can accompany you for free. Send an email to info@marlboroughtheatre.org.uk to arrange a ticket, and let us know if you have any further access requirements. Ear plugs are available upon request.

PREVIEW: Hive North promotes new LGBT+ writers at The Lowry

Posted on by Besi

Hive North returns to The Lowry in Manchester, to celebrate new LGBT+ writing at OutStageUs.

SEVEN new scripts from some of the North West’s most exciting writers will take centre stage at The Lowry next month with Manchester theatre company, Hive North, at OutStageUs.

Running from Thursday 10 to Saturday, September 12, OutStageUs will present works that reflect the past, present and future of LGBT+ activism to mark the 50th anniversary year of the Stonewall Riots, when the New York Police Department raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village.

After an open submission process, Hive North have selected scripts by new and established writers. Pieces being presented include Unspoken written by Hollyoaks’ favourite Annie Wallace.

Talking about OutStageUs, Annie commented: “Following the shout out for submissions for Hive North’s OutStageUs, I decided to submit something I had had in mind for some time. The dialogue came quickly. The editing less so. It’s loosely based on a real event in my own life.”

Gaydio and BBC Radio Manchester presenter Emma Goswell will present a series of Coming Out Stories, selected and edited from the podcast of the same name.

Other selected scripts include Mixed Up by James McDermott, Changes by Chloe McLaughlin, Extra Curricular by Billie Collins and My Temple by brand new writer Tom Carney.

OutStageUs will also present the North West premiere of My Loneliness is Killing Me, winner of Best Short Film at the 2018 BAFTA Scotland Awards. The film, written by Michael Richardson and directed by Tim Courtney explores loneliness and division among gay and queer communities.

Adam Zane
Adam Zane

Artistic Director of Hive North, Adam Zane said: “Working with new writers is a passion of ours and we’re thrilled to be able to offer some of the most exciting upcoming talent the opportunity to not only present their work, but to spend time developing their scripts during the rehearsal process.

“We’re thrilled at the quantity and quality of submissions for this years’ OutStageUs, it’s going to be a very special event celebrating our region’s rich history of defiance and activism.” he concluded.”

For more information about OutStageUs, click here:

Event: OutStageUs

Where: The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ

When: Thursday 12 – Saturday 14, September

Time: 8pm

Cost: £10/£12

To book tickets online, click here:

Improving the street scene in Brighton and Hove

Posted on by Besi

Work has started to improve the appearance of city centre streets by tackling unauthorised signs and changes to shop fronts.

THE initiative, led by the city council’s planning team, is taking place in Western Road and Church Road where we’ll be working with businesses to improve the appearance of properties and the general street scene.

Cllr Tracey Hill
Cllr Tracey Hill

Councillor Tracey Hill, lead member for planning, said: “Poor signage and shop front conversions affect the way the whole street feels. If the area is attractive it feels safer and more people will visit, so it is important, both for businesses and residents who live in the area.

“Western Road and Church Road are two of the city’s most popular thoroughfares and part of the city’s historic street scene. There have been an increase in unauthorised signs and shop front alterations in recent years so we’re pleased to be able to work alongside property owners to improve the area.”

Although the team will be mostly concentrating on unauthorised signs and changes to shop fronts they will also be aiming to tackle properties that have fallen into disrepair and encouraging owners to clean them up and make repairs.

Brighton & Hove’s planning service has created guides on shop fronts and advertising signs to help businesses and developers make sure their properties fit in with and enhance the street for the benefit of all.

Western Road is in the Brunswick Town Conservation Area and has many historic features and shop fronts, including The Paris House (number 21), Lane and Stedman (100), Mitre House (144-145), Imperial arcade (203-211) and some imposing former department stores.

Church Road is also in the Cliftonville Conservation Area with many attractive buildings.

The council’s planning team will advise businesses on how they can improve their properties so they meet the city’s local guidance and policy.

The council has powers to prosecute for the display of unauthorised advertisements and will consider using these powers where owners are unwilling to make the necessary changes or improvements.

For guidance for shop front design, click here:

For guidance for advertisements, click here:

PREVIEW: Lulu brings her On Fire Tour to Eastbourne

Posted on by Besi

Lulu – she’s still got plenty to shout about!

Lulu OBE is heading to Eastbourne on Friday, September 20 with her On Fire Tour and Eastbourne’s newly refurbished Congress Theatre is ready for this Glaswegian powerhouse performer.

A singer, songwriter, actress and national treasure Lulu has enjoyed a long and hugely successful career from her first international hit in 1967 To Sir With Love, through to topping the charts with Take That with Re-Light My Fire and bringing her truly amazing voice to a brand new generation.

Not to mention chart topping Bond Theme The Man with the Golden Gun, Eurovision winning Boom Bang a Bang and of course it iconic hit Shout! Lulu has stayed the course, when many have faltered, why, simply because her talent as an artist and her determination as a person.

Her iconic performances cement her as a show business legend; if you haven’t seen Lulu live, then don’t miss this special opportunity. This show is not just about the music though as Lulu recounts her remarkable life and a career that has outshone many of her contemporaries.

On Fire is a show packed full of hits, in which Lulu takes us on her own personal journey through her music. Supported by a 4-piece band and LED screen featuring carefully selected family and career defining moments. Lulu will have you sitting, standing, dancing, singing, laughing and simply listening to an amazing story that started, almost unbelievably, on November 3, 1948.

Something to shout about?  Lulu has plenty!

Event: Lulu On Fire Tour

Where: Congress Theatre, Carlisle Rd, Eastbourne BN21 4JR

When: Friday, September 20

Time: 7.30pm

Cost: £37 – £42

To book tickets online, click here:

Or call the box office on 01323 412000

Manchester Pride – WE ARE FAMILY!

Posted on by Gary Hart

New Family Zone comes to Manchester Pride Festival this Saturday.

IN a first for Manchester Pride Festival, organisers are introducing a new Family Zone on Saturday, August 24 from 12pm to 5pm in Sackville Gardens.

The event, which will be at the heart of the festival in the Gay Village Party, will welcome families and children under 14 coinciding with the Manchester Pride Parade Screening in the park.

The event programme is centered around fun, wellness and learning and will comprise of family-friendly activities, a picnic area, craft workshops, sport sessions and talks as well as a place for LGBT+ families to get together.

Hosted in a big top style circus tent will be Junk Orchestra and Queen Vs Bowie Disco with Born To Be Wild Child.  The Junk Orchestra features a supersonic recycled collection of objects, rescued and re-invented from the urban sprawl! Within each individual jam session, participants will get to play and compose on tuned junk instruments; covering percussion, wind and string – flipflopaphones, scaffoldaphones, tuned tanks and wheels, logaphones, fire extinguisherphone, tincan drums, storm sheets and more!

The picnic area will welcome the popular Drag Queen Story Time and Proud To Be Parents: One stop shop. Proud To Be Parents will be offering advice for any LGBT+ person/people that would like to start a family, offering information and advice on each of the various avenues.

Plus there will be pride flag making, spaceship design, giant games, face painting, no mess crafts and a soft play area.

Mark Fletcher
Mark Fletcher

Mark Fletcher, chief executive for Manchester Pride, said: “When designing Manchester Pride Festival every year, we take a lot of time to consult with LGBT+ people and the people who come to the festival have told us that they would welcome a space in which they can celebrate with the whole family. So for the first time in 2019 we have created this space. Through art, craft, music and story telling we will create a unique space within th Gay Village Party for people of all ages to enjoy.”

Family tickets are priced from £20 – day tickets are priced from £10.

For weekend tickets click here: 

The four-day Gay Village Party, will this year bring live performances, a food and makers market and more to the iconic cobbled streets and area surrounding them in Manchester’s Gay Village.

The focal point of the event will be Sackville Gardens which will play host to the Thomas Cook Airlines stage and the brand new family space.

Sara Aalto
Sara Aalto

Music and performances will be programmed throughout the weekend with Liberty X opening the event alongside Sara Aalto and host Stephen Bailey. Proms in the Park will take over on Saturday daytime followed by a Danny Beard and friends extravaganza in the evening.

A huge part of the weekend will be the Queer Music Stage which will be programmed by Manchester Pride’s year-round programme of culture Superbia.  It will run on Sunday from 2pm to 11pm.

Trans Pride will also take place on the Sackville Gardens Stage on Monday and as always the weekend will close with the Candlelit Vigil in this space in the evening.

The EXPO, in partnership with Cooperative Bank will continue in the space on Bloom Street where it has been for many years, along with the hugely popular Silent Disco on Saturday and Sunday and Singalong Cinema on Monday.  The films shown will be selected by a poll via Manchester Pride’s Facebook page.

The car park, which in the past has played host to the main stage, will this year host the Sackville Square Fair with a host of food and drink traders and a makers market with DJs and live music playing all weekend. Plus the much-missed fairground rides will return to the site to make the most of the space which has become much reduced as a result of the construction work happening across the area.

Ticket prices for this event are subsidised by Manchester Pride to help deliver a safe, community pride celebration.

Guests can expect wristband checks in bars and the same security as previous festivals to ensure a safe and welcoming space for LGBT+ people to celebrate all weekend long.

Running from Friday, August 23 to Monday, August 26, Manchester Pride Festival 2019 will be made up of Manchester Pride Live, the Candlelit Vigil, the Superbia Weekend, the Gay Village Party, Manchester Pride Parade and Youth Pride MCR.

For more information, click here:

 

Students’ Union apologises for wrongful expulsions 25 years ago

Posted on by Besi

Twenty-five years ago, The University of Salford’s LGBT+ Society was disbanded and the committee members expelled from the Students’ Union.

JEFF Evans and Simon McGurk were accused of distributing offensive materials on campus, in the form of a graphic image within their annual Pink Guide.

The Students’ Union has recently issued a formal apology to all the banned students and awarded them lifetime membership to the Student Union.

The Pink Guide was a project created by a group of students known as the Pink Collective, encompassing students from University of Salford, University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. The aim of the guide was to educate new students about LGBT life in Greater Manchester.

In the early 90s, the AIDS epidemic was a prominent focus for the LGBT+ communities, as a result, the Pink Guide emphasised sexual health and safety. In one of these sexual health articles there was a graphic image illustrating safer sex practices, this image was obtained from Government issued health information.

Despite the insistence from the Pink Collective that the image was vital to the dissemination of safer sex practices, the University of Salford Students’ Union upheld a distribution ban of the Pink Guide and expelled the students involved.

By pure coincidence, a recent University of Salford Students’ Union Student Officer met a member of the Pink Collective at an external event. This former student, Jeff Evans, told the Student Officer his story and showed him the Pink Guide that led to the ban.

The Students’ Union felt their actions in 1993 were discriminatory and not in line with the current values of the organisation. They invited Jeff and another Pink Collective member, Simon McGurk to campus to tell their story. This visit was documented alongside a visit to the Manchester Central Library Archives, to create a short film about the Pink Guide.

The premiere of this film takes place tomorrow, Tuesday, August 20, between 5-6pm at the North Side, University House at the University of Salford, and will feature a Q&A with Jeff and Simon. Everyone is welcome to the screening of this film.

Jeff and Simon have been working with the Students’ Union to create a new Pink Guide which will be available to Salford students during Welcome Week 2019.

Former Pink Collective and lifetime Students’ Union member, Jeff Evans said: “It is a shameful period in the past of the Students’ Union, and I am so pleased that the organisation has had the maturity to put their hand up and say, ‘this was wrong, and we want to try and make it right’.”

To fine out more information, click here:

Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus re-schedule Summer Show 

Posted on by Besi

Towards the end of June, Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus (BrightonGMC) was rocked by the sudden and untimely death of Richard Tredgett, the fiancé of Chorus Director, Joe Paxton.

IN consultation with Joe, BrightonGMC’s trustees decided to postpone the summer show, originally scheduled for Brighton Pride weekend, until Friday 20 and Saturday, September 21, 2019.

Vaughan Leyshon
Vaughan Leyshon

Vaughan Leyshon, BrightonGMC’s Chairman, said: “We hope the Chorus and all its members can be a source of support for Joe during this difficult time. ‘In Time For Pride’, the first fully-fledged show that Joe has created for us, has added importance because we know he shared ideas about its concept with Richard. We are now looking forward to sharing it with our friends, family and supporters.”

Although the show will now take place after Brighton Pride, its theme, about the fight for equality, is timeless. In Time For Pride will introduce a mysterious character travelling through time and space who will be transporting the audience through an exploration of the history of Pride and the music that has run alongside it.

So, book your seat early for what is bound to be an unforgettable journey – one that promises to honour extraordinary people, highlight the transformative power of music and, while fully recognising there is still much work to be done, celebrate how far we have already come.

Event: In Time For Pride

Where: St George’s Church, St George’s Rd, Brighton BN2 1ED

When: Friday 20 and Saturday, September 21, 2019

Time: 7.30pm (doors open 7pm)

Cost: £15 (£12 conc)

To book tickets online, click here:

Also available from Prowler in St James Street (both no fees)

One for the diary: Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus next concert is the Christmas Concert on  Friday, December 6, 2019 • All Saints Church, The Drive, Hove

For more information about the chorus, click here:

PREVIEW: New single from Oli Spleen

Posted on by Contributor

Oli Spleen’s launched his second album Gaslight Illuminations in February this year.

He releases the third single from the album, Furnace this September. The B-side will be a cover of Brahms’ Hungarian Dance (Number 5).

Furnace the final track on the album, is describes as a “psychological rebirth after the spiritual and emotional decline and death of the preceding songs”.

 

 

In 2018 as a tribute to his recently deceased father, Oli recorded his second solo album Gaslight Illuminations. The album was a collaboration with members of Brighton band Birdeatsbaby and was inspired by the emotional fallout of a toxic relationship.

“A gloriously dark and haunting work, there are themes of growing older, life, death and mortality running throughout. In Gaslight Illuminations Oli Spleen has pushed himself further than ever and appears to have reinvented himself yet again.”

  • Salena Godden author of Pessimism Is For Lightweights.

“With Gaslight Illuminations, Oli Spleen comes of age. Battle-scarred and world weary he may be, but Gaslight Illuminations is his most tender and personal collection to date. Touching on French chanson and Weimar cabaret, on death and loss, Gaslight Illuminations is a mesmerising work from an artist who has embraced his maturity.”

  • Darryl W. Bullock author of David Bowie Made Me Gay, 100 Years of LGBT Music.

To listen to the album for free, click here:

 

PREVIEW: Morning Glory with Jason Sutton tonight at Legends

Posted on by Contributor

Hot from a week at the Edinburgh Fringe, Jason Sutton aka Miss Jason appears in a new show written for him by broadcaster Andrew Kay.

THE one off performance of Morning Glory will be at Legends tonight at 8pm and is directed by Allan Cardew.

Tickets on the door are first come first served, some seated but some standing (it’s not a long show!) and cost just £5 which includes a donation to The Martin Fisher Foundation.

Drinks after at the bar.

Event: Morning Glory by Andrew Kay

Where: Legends, 31-34 Marine Parade, Brighton BN2 1TR

When: Monday, July 19

Time: 8pm

Cost: £5 tickets on the door

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