I suppose the theatrical arts are somewhat unique in that regard. Acceptance and understanding are not just naturally occurring elements of the industry due to the kind of people who work in it, but rather it is an extension of qualities that are professionally required of actors and performers.
Theatre has a kind of social tolerance built into the very fabric of the industry. However, no profession is without its flaws. Though theatre is generally accepting of queer people, it still has its issues in other areas, such as race. Gay people may find solace and comfort in theatre, but there are other groups who do not, and we should make every effort to change that. The other reason why theatre is sometimes labeled as queer, most often by men, is that there are aspects of stagecraft that run contrary to entrenched ideas of masculinity.
The problem of toxic masculinity is one that most people will be at least somewhat familiar with by now, as it has been a regular topic in the columns of newspapers and magazines for a number of years now. Thankfully, the rise in awareness of this issue has served to decrease its potency somewhat, with many high-profile individuals, most recently Harry Styles, gaining significant attention for their gender-bending behavior.
However, I would argue that there are a number of things which we men do in theatre which some still find difficult to stomach due to long-held prejudices. The extensive use of make-up, for example, or the tendency for artistic men to be more emotional and compassionate due to the reasons outlined above.
To be clear, such expressions of masculinity are generally perfectly acceptable though emotionlessness is fundamentally unhealthy provide it is not expected that all men conform to the same standards. Non-masculine does not equal queer. The two are not connected. The misconception that they are, however, appears to persist.
So yes, theatre is probably queerer than many other professions by virtue of the fact that, for many of us at least, it provides a safe space free from judgment and danger. The openness with which most theatre industries operate is a credit to both the art form and the people who work with it.
Who knows? With any luck, our society will continue to become more open and tolerant and we will eventually find out the answer to that question. In the meantime, however, theatre, both professional and amateur, provides a vital service to many in the queer community. As for the toxic masculinity issue, that is a problem that goes far beyond the confines of theatre and the arts. Until we see a systematic societal change in the presentation of gender norms, it is unlikely that the stereotypes around theatre will ever go away.
We in the arts can help to hasten the achievement of that goal though, by doing our best to encourage those who misunderstand our art to educate themselves and maybe even give it a try. Plays, films and other performances that challenge gender stereotypes are also a core part of the road to progress on this issue.
The more mainstream breaking gender norms becomes, the less hold they will have on our society, and therefore our industry. Sean Bennett is a writer, editor, actor, and producer based in the UK. After years of acting in community theatre, he founded his first theatre company in at the age of 18 and now writes about theatre and the arts, drawing on his experiences over the last decade in the industry. OnStage Blog. Cart 0. The aggression towards Queerness pervaded throughout society in the first half of the 20th century yet, in spite of this, Queer nightlife flourished in London with well-known Queer-friendly bars and cabarets including The Cave of the Golden Calf and The Shim Sham Club.
Check out this great article on Bohemian London to learn more. Attitudes towards homosexuality showed signs of change when the Wolfenden Report was published in , which recommended for the decriminalisation of homosexuality. However, it was still impossible to show same sex relationships on stage.
This marked a change in depicting gay people with sensitivity rather than as a joke or miscreant. When homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales in and in Scotland, in Northern Ireland , Queer artists were no longer under the threat of legal persecution. Whether the public actually wanted to see Queer work was another question. As a result, Queer artists were confined to the fringes — both of society and the theatre landscape.
His black comedies and satires would go on to inspire countless artists check out Loot and Entertaining Mr Sloane. The s saw the emergence of Gay Sweatshop Theatre Company, whose aim was to counteract the prevailing perception in mainstream theatre of what homosexuals were like. They were part of the company that formed Theatre Against Sexism and then in the feminist theatre company Siren.
As we enter the s, moral reformer Mary Whitehouse attempted to prosecute director Michael Bogdanov for his production of The Romans in Britain by Howard Brenton at the National Theatre for procuring an act of gross indecency as defined by the Sexual Offences Act The prosecution lost, but there were further attempts at censorship throughout the decade. The turn of the century saw a continuation of gay plays as well as new venues specifically dedicating their programming to Queer work, including Above The Stag founded in There was also the hugely successful Australian musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Prolific playwright Rikki Beadle-Blair had several plays performed here at Stratford East including Bashment in , which tackled homophobia in the hip-hop scene.
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