Gay Sweatshop, Alternative Theatre, and Strategi for New Wrg - Volume 30 Issue 2
Contents:
- GAY SWEATSHOP
- SIMON CALLOW: PRAISE OF GAY SWEATSHOP
- THE GAY SWEATSHOP THEATRE COMPANY
- GAY SWEATSHOP THEATRE COMPANY
- WHY THEY JOED GAY SWEATSHOP.
- THE GAY SWEATSHOP THEATRE COMPANY
- GAY SWEATSHOP, ALTERNATIVE THEATRE, AND STRATEGI FOR NEW WRG
- GAY SWEATSHOP THEATRE COMPANY
- THE GAY SWEATSHOP THEATRE COMPANY 1974-1997
GAY SWEATSHOP
Gay Sweatshop was a gay theatre group, found 1975.
In 1975 Gay Sweatshop were ved to perform at the CHE nference Sheffield.
SIMON CALLOW: PRAISE OF GAY SWEATSHOP
An Arts Council grant allowed them to put together Mister X, jotly wrten by the group and based on personal experienc and the book Wh Downst Gays: Aspects of Homosexual Self-Opprsn by Andrew Hodg and David Hutter. 1 Gay History article. In the 40 years sce Gay Sweatshop was found, the world has changed out of all regnn for Brish gay women and men.
Beg gay – gay, not queer, not homo, not poof nor pansy, faggot nor fairy – was now a e, a csa; we were a separate and self-sufficient subdivisn of human kd, our liv centrally predited on sire. And some very liberated gay men, who mostly me om Out There – those very ungay regnal and suburban hterlands – cid that maybe the theatre would be a good way of nnectg everyone up.
THE GAY SWEATSHOP THEATRE COMPANY
So Gay Sweatshop me to existence, unr the umbrella of the Amerin granddaddy of radil theatre, the alternative Diaghilev, Ed Berman, who for a season opened his ltle venue to plays by, for and about gay men and I was asked, by this to me at the time hilarly named Gay Sweatshop, to read for the part of Toby Mart Sherman’s play Passg By, I was highly sceptil.
I was out, all right, to every one my circle, and joyoly rompg around the gay pleasure garns.
I endorsed gay liberatn wh every fibre of my beg, I believed that more and better sex was the solutn to everythg, but I uld not see the pot of this sort of ghetto theatre. I realised I had never read another play which two men have a romantic affair and never once mentn beg gay. But I had no klg of what performg that play ont of a gay dience would be like.
GAY SWEATSHOP THEATRE COMPANY
I don’t believe I’ve done anythg more rewardg or more emotnally overpowerg on any stage or any was jt a begng for Gay Sweatshop.
The women and men who ran were no slouch when me to personally fosterg the sexual revolutn, but their work was not dulgent or ivolo: reached out many directns – historilly, theatrilly, polilly – a termatn to affirm the place and existence of gay people wh society, that we’re here and we’re queer and we’ve been here and been queer for a very long time – sce rerds began. Not enough gay people knew the thgs of themselv. Once they started to wake up to all of that, then the rt of society did too, and we began to approach the better world (for gays) which we now Gay Sweatshop was a tremendo part of that transformatn attus, reachg out across the untry on tour after tour, as well as beg a remarkable theatril novator s own right, nurturg new wrers and tappg the talents of the tablished great on.
Gay Sweatshop was formed London 1975 and had s roots the lunchtime theatre club "Ambience" held at the Almost Free theatre.
WHY THEY JOED GAY SWEATSHOP.
Inter-Actn, a -operative muny arts rource centre, staged a popular Women's season at the Almost Free theatre 1974 and, spired by their succs, advertised for gay actors to take part a gay theatre season planned for tumn 1974. The aim was to enurage gay people to produce a season of gay plays and eventually form a pany.
The tentn of the group was to unteract the prevailg nceptn mastream theatre of what homosexuals were like, therefore providg a more realistic image for the public. The season was lled "Homosexual Acts" and clud three plays, all of which were wrten and directed by homosexuals. "Homosexual Acts" was origally schled to last until April but was extend to June and addnal plays were 1975 the Campaign for Homosexual Equaly (CHE) had lol groups tablished most towns.
They ved Gay Sweatshop to perform at the annual nference Sheffield.
THE GAY SWEATSHOP THEATRE COMPANY
Inially this was problematic as Gay Sweatshop had no rourc to put on a tourg productn. The play was based on a batn of personal experienc and a book lled "Wh Downst Gays: Aspects of Homosexual Self-Opprsn", wrten by Andrew Hodg and David Hutter. News of the tour spread quickly throughout the gay muni and the tour was seen by many whom would not have ually had the urage to attend a gay 1976 Gay Sweatshop put on a lunchtime season at the Instute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) nng om Febary through to July.
The ICA season was a turng pot for Gay Sweatshop. The pany had ved the women bee they felt that lbian actors, directors and wrers were need to provi a more plete picture of homosexualy. Although there was nsirable opposn the Irish Gay Rights Movement weled the productns and the pany returned January 1977 to repeat the plays.
Durg the Christmas of 1976 the pany produced "Jgleballs", a gay pantomime starrg both lbians and gay men. In 1977 two artistilly separate pani were formed unr the umbrella anisatn of Gay Sweatshop.
GAY SWEATSHOP, ALTERNATIVE THEATRE, AND STRATEGI FOR NEW WRG
The men produced "As Time Go By", a three-part productn set 1896 after the Osr Wil trial, Berl the 1930s and 1969 when Gay liberatn was born. The play was a llaborative effort between Noel Greig and Drew early 1978 the first Gay Tim ftival was held at the Drill Hall. This focsed on the liv of gay men and women a reprsive society and sought to show that they were central to any kd of anti-fascist stggle.
This meant that Gay Sweatshop would have to apply for dividual project grants for specific productns.
GAY SWEATSHOP THEATRE COMPANY
Although they tried to ntue beme too much of a burn for the two remag directors, Noel Greig and Philip Timms, and the admistrator, Gean Wilton, and at the end of March 1981 Gay Sweatshop was closed as a Sweatshop was revived 1983 as a mixed pany rather than the two artistilly separate pani that had existed sce 1977. Noel Greig, spired by the issue of Greenham Common, wrote "Poppi" that put forward a rponse to the nuclear threat and arism om a radil gay male perspective.
Gay Sweatshop eventually received a grant 1985 that allowed them to put on a send productn of "Poppi" wh the tour nng om March to the 1980s the Gay movement had bee somewhat apathetic. At the same time they realised that Gay Sweatshop was very much an all-whe group. The ftival schled for the 10th anniversary of the pany provid them wh an opportuny to rpond to the new challeng and serve as a platform for a wi range of work cludg; Gay teachers, problems facg young gays and lbians, lbian ctody, experienc and black lbians and the issue of AIDS.
THE GAY SWEATSHOP THEATRE COMPANY 1974-1997
In rponse to the succs of "Gay Sweatshop x 10" the Greater London Council award the pany an annual grant that allowed them to get a full-time admistrator and office space. The followg year Gay Sweatshop was fally award charable stat regnn of s tnal work. Gay Sweatshop took the productn on tour om April to June 1987.
The pany cid to stage another ftival 1987, this one lled "Gay Sweatshop x 12". "Twice Over" was seen as a breakthrough play for Gay Sweatshop as was the first play by a black thor.