Gosforth Civic Theatre is marking Pride this year with three stand out events and performances from LGBTQ+ artists, writers, performers and members of the region's queer community.
We're delighted to be bringing a strong programme of events to GCT this year to celebrate Pride in the North East, collaborating with Curious Arts and Equal Arts to platform great work and voices from the LGBTQ+ artistic community in Gosforth and Newcastle.
The programme begins on Sunday 18th July with Handing on our Histories, a retro pride event with music, photography, and short films. It's the culmination of six months work where Equal Arts have been creating a cross-generational project which has supported students to capture the oral history of those who made the first North East Pride events, fought against discriminatory laws like Section 28 and campaigned for LGBT rights during the 1970s and 80s. Tickets are free, but are almost gone so move quick!
On Tuesday 20 July, the first piece of theatre performance in the Theatre since March 2020 is Jenny by Tom Marshman. Part of Curious Arts #CuriousSummer, and followed by a Q&A feedback session with the artist, Jenny is a work-in-progress scratch performance which gathers together research from historians at Newcastle archives, and academics at the University of Bristol, to raise questions of how to create a fully formed picture of someone from the past. Particularly when LGBTQ+ and working class lives are largely documented through their often brutal encounters with the state.
It's all tied together through collaborations with Canadian composer, singer, and musician Jenny Moore, who composed original music as part of the piece; and a writing collaboration with writer and performer Enxi Chang.
It'll be fascinating and a must for those with an interest in LGBTQIA+ history, true crime or just new progressive writing and performance. Tickets are free to book and it's pay as you feel on the evening.
The week ends with a bang and Curious Arts Fundraiser on Friday 23 July. Curious Arts is a Newcastle Gateshead based not-for-profit organisation championing and developing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual + arts, artists and audiences across the North East of England.
The evening is packed with LGBTQ+ talent and will be a fun-packed night of live music, drag, roller-skating, hula-hooping and dance, raising vital funds to support LGBTQIA+ artists and young people across the North East with all ticket sales going to Curious Arts to support the work they do.
Featuring performances by Martha Hill, Jesse Salaman & Toi Guy and Symoné, the event will be hosted by Drag royalty Choriza May with a guest appearance from Gladys Duffy. Tickets are on sale now and start from £15.
GCT is a community arts venue, ran by a disability arts charity, and we strive to be a place for everyone. We want to give people a voice and be somewhere they can feel safe coming together and being themselves. Openness and inclusivity are important to us. They form the basis of who we are - 20% of our staff team identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community - and we want to represent that in what we programme now and in the future, so watch this space for more LGBTQ+ community activities and performances.
Sunday 18 July - Handing on our Histories
Tuesday 20 July - Jenny by Tom Marshman
Friday 23 July - Curious Arts Fundraiser
For more information on all the performances mentioned and the rest of our programme, head to our What's On Page.