DV8 Physical Theatre hits The Lowry
Published: 10/06/08
DV8's Artistic Director Lloyd Newson leads a multi-ethnic cast in a poetic but unflinching exploration of tolerance, intolerance, religion and sexuality.
DV8's new production is based on hundreds of hours of audio interviews collected throughout the UK with people directly affected by these issues. Incorporating dance, text, documentary, animation and film, twenty years on DV8 still refuses to be defined.
Fri 27 Jun 2008 - Sat 28 Jun 2008 - 7.30pm
The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ
Tickets: £9.50-£17.50
Telephone: 0870 787 5780
Book online at thelowry.com
Lloyd Newson talks about the inspirations behind this latest work
Race & Homophobia
"In the early 1990s, I went on a Gay Pride March which that year went through the predominantly Afro-Caribbean neighbourhood of Brixton. My then-boyfriend, who was Indian, and I were astonished at the level of abuse and hostility directed at us as we walked hand in hand down Brixton Road. I was struck by the fact that people who themselves are part of a minority, many of whom must have experienced racism and racist abuse first hand, were so willing to be abusive towards another minority. Our research showed that many people within the Afro-Caribbean community hold strong religious beliefs, and not surprisingly, use religious texts to justify their negative attitudes towards homosexuality."
Gay Muslims
“In 2006 Channel 4 Television screened a documentary called Gay Muslims. The programme interviewed 200 gay and lesbian Muslims living in Britain and only one person out of the 200 was willing for their face to be shown on television. The resulting programme therefore comprised mainly of hand and feet close-ups. It is worrying that people living in a democratic country in the 21st Century are frightened to be open about their sexuality because of potential reprisals within their own ethnic and religious communities.”
The Anglican Church
"Currently the word 'schism' appears almost daily in newspapers when referring to the potential split within the Anglican Church over the issue of homosexuality. There are 38 Archbishops and Bishops that represent the Anglican Communion worldwide and a number of these have announced they will boycott the 2008 Lambeth Conference, hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury because invitations have been sent to more liberal bishops who condone homosexuality."
Equality Act
"Last year, the Anglican Mainstream, a network of traditional Christian organisations, sought exemption from the government's Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 which attempt to prevent discrimination against gay people in the provision of goods and services.
Examples like these raise the question of how a society reconciles religious beliefs with an individual's human rights."
What does Lloyd hope the audience will take away form the production?
"Many of our interviewees, particularly from ethnic minority groups with strong religious ties, requested that their identities remain hidden, fearful of the consequences should their communities discover their sexuality. Despite the great gains in the law to protect gay people in this country our interviews show how lesbians and gay men, if they choose to become visible, face intimidation or physically abuse. I hope that through this work audiences will become more aware of the lives of people hidden under the veneer of a liberal and supposedly tolerant society."
You can read more at the DV8 website
