Pride plays shine spotlight on LGBT writers

After last year’s success, Pride Plays is back – Scotland’s first ever LGBTQI+ playwright festival. 

As part of LGBT History Month Scotland, Pride Plays continue to give the stage to voices of a community who still feel underrepresented in Scottish theatre.

There will be two evenings, with two different plays per night, by originally written plays by LGBTI+ writers in Scotland. Each evening will be followed by a post-show discussion led by the director,

playwright and public figure.

The plays will be performed as part of the LGBT History Month Scotland on the 14th and 15th February 2020 at, and in association with, Scotland’s leading new writing theatre, the Traverse Theatre.

Last year’s festival was the first venture of Shift, a theatre company born out of a desire to provoke action. Shift, founded by theatre makers Sarah Masson and Connel Burnett, challenges outdated social and political inequalities – fusing theatre with activism.

Pride Plays are giving people who identify as LGBTI+ a platform for their voices to be heard in Scottish theatre. The festival is also seeking to grow the body of work by those in the LGBTI+ community in Scotland and challenge the programmers to address the underrepresentation of LGBT+ voices.

Commenting Co-Artistic Director of Shift, Sarah Masson, said: “We were quite taken aback by the success of last year. When you are starting something from scratch, you never know how it will be received. The success of last year made it clear that there is an appetite for this work – from the impassioned conversations in the bar afterwards to the opportunities that the writers secured afterwards.

Co-Artist Director of Shift, Connel Burnett, said:“Whilst LGBTQIA+ writers continue to be underrepresented on our stages, Pride Plays will continue. Now more than ever, the importance of representation is crucial and there is still a lot of work to be done. LGBTQIA+ rights are being threatened and theatre can play a crucial role in allowing their voices to be heard.”

Photo: Pride Plays graphic