A Deptford theatre brought LGBTQ+ true stories to life last Saturday.
Songbook was developed through LGBTQ+ workshops where an inexperienced troupe worked with professionals to re-enact personal moments through song, dance or comedy.
Twelve performers took to the stage at The Albany Theatre following words of encouragement from project curator Paul Green.
He told the cast: “Just go out there, be brave and celebrate your life.”
Former civil servant Frank, 61, was diagnosed with HIV in the eighties and sang in front of projected images of friends who lost their life to the disease.
He said: “It was cathartic, letting go of stuff that had been ticking away in the back of my head for a very long time.
“It was trying to say that we aren’t dead, we’re still here, some of us anyway.”
Having not performed for 40 years, he came across the project’s flyer through mental health support group METRO and praised the workshops for having kept him off the streets.
He moved from Glasgow to Deptford in 1983 and was charming in his self-deprecation when referring to his Glaswegian accent and false teeth.
Another amateur performer, Desmond Dick, looked nervous when they took to the stage but exited smiling ear-to-ear when their original song, I Am Gay, met joyous applause.
Arts project behind the show Bijou Stories strive to counteract the continuing closure of London’s queer nightlife venues, with 58% shutting down between 2008 and 2017 according to UCL research.
Paul said: “A lot of older gay people become isolated and, since the pubs shut down, they haven’t got places to go.
“It was a way of trying to create a bit of community, a support network.”
The Albany’s design – an intimate circle with little division between stage and auditorium – meant audience members too were invited into this community.
Teacher and advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion in schools Shaun Dellenty finished an anecdote about finding home in the iconic Royal Vauxhall Tavern by asking directly: “This was my story. How might you share yours?”
But these boundaries were tested most by drag queen Dusty Springclean, the 70s-styled cleaner who chatted up guests and polished bald heads in the audience.
She told one unfortunate guest: “I think I can see my future in this one.”
So, what might this project tell us about a future seemingly under threat?
As the Bijou Stories mission statement reads: “Documenting people’s personal histories [can] elucidate our understanding of the past and the present and even help mark signposts to the future.”
That future, if nothing else, will involve another round of workshops towards Songbook’s next event, starting in October at West Greenwich Library.
Featured image credit: Bijou Stories
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