This Pride month has been a strange one. Scratch that. 2020’s been a strange one.
As June rolls around each year, the iconic pride flags are unfurled and adorn buildings and bodies once more. Drag queens in their fullest most fabulous outfits head out onto the streets, music blares- Madonna, Freddie, Frank, Janelle, George, Gloria, Donna and Gaga just to get us going. Glitter is spread across sun kissed faces, hugging is mandatory, vogueing -no matter how good or bad you are at it – is too. The world is on your side. It is swooping you up and swaddling you in love. An unending abundance of love is love is love.
But this year is different. Covid-19 means we aren’t able to be together. 6 people can meet outside but hugging is on pause. There’s no smearing each other in glitter or wrapping you and your favourite queers up in a rainbow flag together. How many queers does it take to make a Pride anyway? Is 6 enough? Surely we’d need at least 60? Or 600? 6000 would be better…
We at NSDF are lucky enough to see the most dazzling queer work by emerging artists every year. We’ve had a plethora of extraordinary shows by LGBTQIA* artists at recent festivals including Stevie Thomas’ 1001010, Quick Duck Theatre’s Magic Hour: The Murder Mystery Disco, or our 2019 work in progress show Shrinking Violet’s Barry which was set to return to our 2020 Festival. And last Pride month, Sean made the trip to Warwick University to select Warwick Drama’s Potatoes which tells the story of a queer couple trying to survive an apocalypse – sound familiar, anyone?
Obviously, this year the festival had to move online, so we missed out on seeing Barry and Potatoes and celebrating queer work and queer artists on our stages. And although it’s heart-breaking not to be proud together right now, Selectors Lucy and Sean have put together a little Radio Times Rainbow Edition for your Pride celebrating pleasure:
Salacia – the story of Mary Jones – a black trans sex worker in New York during the 1800s: https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/360
Nothing More Beautiful – a conversation with six activists about the power and beauty of the Trans community: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CB3Huf9h_pZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link