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Whatever Happened to Gay Theatre?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2009

Brian Roberts
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Abstract

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With hopes for a repeal of Clause 28 poised for imminent realization or disappointment, a successful European challenge to Britain's policy on gays and lesbians in the armed forces, and an overwhelming House of Commons vote to equalize the gay ‘age of consent’, gay issues are high in the public consciousness. But to what extent are these political events being reflected in contemporary theatre? In this article, Brian Roberts considers the fluctuations in gay visibility, and asks what happened to the gay theatre that sprang to prominence in the 'eighties. He situates the best of present gay theatre work as standing in a critically defining role to mainstream theatre culture, not only through its political conscientizing of ‘queer’ and theatricality, but also in its opposition to an assimilationist gay subculture. Brian Roberts lectures in Drama and Theatre at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and is presently revising his book Artistic Bents: Gay Sensibility and Theatre for publication.

Type
Research Article
Information
New Theatre Quarterly , Volume 16 , Issue 2 , May 2000 , pp. 175 - 185
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2000

References

Notes and References

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2. This section of the Local Government Act of 1988 is still referred to by its original title of ‘Clause 28’ and states that: ‘A local authority shall not: a) Intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality, b) Promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.’ The section/clause remains on the statute books, unre-formed and unchanged.

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4. Sullivan, Andrew, Virtually Normal (London: Picador, 1995), p. 122Google Scholar.

5. ‘Clause 28’ is still the most commonly understood description of the notorious paragraphs. Strictly, when it passed into law it became ‘Section 28’ of the Local Government Act, 1988.

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13. Act-Up (the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) was formed in 1989, based on the American organization Outrage. It was/is an ad hoc pressure group which uses theatrical strategies to raise public awareness about Queer issues.

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