An evening of LGBTQ+ heritage, local history, theatre, and creative exchange will take place at Department next month, featuring the launch of a new book and the presentation of a Historic England-funded project exploring Ryde’s hidden LGBTQ+ past.
The event, held on 13th August, will feature the launch of a new book and the presentation of an Historic England-funded project exploring Ryde’s hidden LGBTQ+ past.
StoneCrabs Theatre will bring together local history, community research, and live storytelling for a special evening celebrating LGBTQ+ arts, heritage, people and places.
Taking place at Department in Ryde from 19:00 to 21:00, the event will showcase the results of Celebrating LGBTQ+ Working Class Histories, a project funded by Historic England, alongside the launch of Stories Underfoot, a new book published in collaboration with Figmentum.
The Celebrating LGBTQ+ Working Class Histories project brought local people together to investigate the hidden LGBTQ+ history of Ryde.
One outcome of the project was UNION, a 50-page, full-colour zine exploring the history of Isle of Wight Pride, the shops of Union Street, LGBTQ+ nightlife in Ryde during the 1980s and 1990s, and figures including Phaedra Kelly, Peter Woodnutt, and Oscar Wilde.
The project also worked with Dr Lena Mattheis and the Listen Queer app to create an audio tour of Union Street, highlighting the history of shops and venues, including some that no longer exist.
The evening will see the launch of Stories Underfoot, published by Figmentum. The book includes the complete scripts of StoneCrabs’ open-air promenade performances, bringing the stories and characters of Stories Underfoot to readers beyond the original performances. Alongside the scripts, the collection offers a unique insight into the research behind the stories, reflections from the director and actors, and photographs by Maria Bell.
There will also be an exclusive screening of Girls Who Saved the World and Old Town Hall in Newtown, one of our immersive promenade performances, written by Anmarie Bowler.
The event is free and open to all; those wishing to book a slot can do so here.
