“Darling,” OX managing director, Jill Rayner says to me, “can you write something about Pride? Because even though you’ve moved to Australia and Melbourne’s queer scene is bigger than Oxford’s, the principle’s the same.”
The Way Old Friends Do
At Oxford Playhouse
The Way Old Friends Do is at Birmingham Rep 17 February-4 March before embarking on its UK tour which includes a run at Oxford Playhouse 15-20 May.
Awkward Productions Presents
Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story
A spoken word performance from Jahmar Ngozi exploring love, creativity and identity.
In July, PoetryHouse founder Jahmar Ngozi brings London, Paris, Amsterdam to Offbeat Oxford. A spoken word performance exploring love, creativity and identity.
“Abuse on a Mass Scale”
The UK Prison System on Stage
Cell Outs is a dark comedy written and performed by two ex-prison officers. It follows the true experiences of two young women, as they stare down the injustices of the UK prison system, and attempt to unpick the dangerous effects of power and privilege.
Following the success of Awkward Conversations With Animals I’ve F*cked (Underbelly Edinburgh 2018, King’s Head Theatre + National Tour 2019) Awkward Productions have returned with yet another show about… sexy animals.
“Sequins Darling, Sequins”
Jonny Woo’s All Star Christmas Cabaret
One of the UK’s most influential artists in alternative variety, and co-owner of East End LGBTQ+ performance venue The Glory, Jonny Woo welcomes in this year’s festive season with a raucous Christmas cabaret and sing-a-long at Battersea Arts Centre. Here, the performer tells Sam Bennett more about the show, as well as exciting London venues, gay and queer lineage, and new play Silvertown.
“I wrote Blue/Orange in my twenties,” says Joe Penhall, “after working as a cadet journalist, when there were several reported cases of people who were incarcerated in mental hospitals for saying things like, ‘Idi Amin’s secret police are following me around Peckham’, and being diagnosed as being delusional as a result.
“Shit!” says Nathaniel Hall as people take their seats at Oxford’s North Wall, having already seen the performer’s legs and feet poking out from under a duvet. “Talk amongst yourselves,” he suggests, hurriedly trying to tidy up last night’s party.
“As a student,” Tom Crawford recalls, “any opportunity to do fancy dress usually involved me not wearing clothes.” Appearing semi-nude doesn’t faze him, he says as we sit (fully clothed) outside his Norham Gardens home, so teaching maths in his pants comes quite naturally.