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PREVIEW: What’s coming up at the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts

As part of the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts autumn programme there are a lots of amazing events to look out for.

One not to miss is David Hoyle’s show Diamond, in association with The Marlborough Theatre. Diamond is an unforgiving queer performance of sexuality. Weaving together intimate, personal accounts of events in Hoyle’s life, Diamond charts the rise from gay adolescent to famous anti-drag queen cult phenomenon Divine David, to the performer he is today.

This is a piece that explores British culture from 1957 to 2017 through personal biography from this avant garde artist.

The performance follows landmark events in history and touches on people such as Alan Turing and more recent LGBT+ activists and performers. Bullied and terrorised as a child for being queer, Hoyle decided to begin a discussion with society about the politics that surround homosexuality. Hoyle’s performance will take place December 2.

Also at ACCA this season is Thinking Queer: Bloomsbury Group, also working with The Marlborough Theatre.

This event follows the polymaths of the Bloomsbury Group and grapples with disruptions, interruptions and reflections.  It also charts what a radical queer collective might look like today and features performances from a host of radical thinkers including Alok Vaid-Menon. Thinking Queer is on November 10.

And then last but certainly not least is Notorious by The Famous Lauren Barri Holstein. This piece delves into the ghostly underworld of popular culture, seeking the redemptive purity behind promiscuous behaviour. This is an irreverent, pop-phenomenon of music, dance and witch-bitch ritual.

The Famous Lauren Barri Holstein interrogates representations of female subjectivity and looking at ways in which social media and consumerism define how we relate to the female body. Notorious will take place November 23.

This season at ACCA promises to engage, challenge and provoke its audiences over the important issues of our time. The performances and shows will shape the way we all think about the future as well as challenging dominant perspectives and suggesting new ideas. There are many more gigs, theatre shows, digital art works, films, discussions and debates also to check out.

For more information and details on the rest of the programme, click here:

Or book tickets via 01273 678822.

Many shows have an allocation of Pay What You Decide tickets – including all of those listed in this article.

 

Roebuck Inn named best freehouse in the country

The Roebuck Inn celebrates after being named the best freehouse in the country in the John Smith’s Great British Pub Awards.

German comedy ambassador Henning Wehn presents the award to the Roebuck Inn team
German comedy ambassador Henning Wehn presents the award to the Roebuck Inn team

The awards, which celebrate the best pubs throughout the UK, took place at the Park Lane Hilton, London,  on September 7 and saw The Roebuck beat off strong competition from rival operators.

Run by seasoned operators Tony Leonard and Dominic McCartan, this steampunk-themed pub, in the pretty village of Laughton, East Sussex, is a gem of an operation, offering a great range of drinks and food, accommodation, and a wide range of live music and theatre events. The couple formerly had the Snowdrop Inn in Lewes and the Hop Poles in Brighton.

Tony said: “We are thrilled to have been awarded the Best Freehouse in the UK. This is a tremendous accolade for our talented and hard-working team and all our customers who make the Roebuck such a lovely pub to be part of.”

The Roebuck is the only pub in the village and had been closed for two years before the couple took it on.

Dominic added: “It’s a great honour to win this title, particularly given that we have only been up and running for such a short time. It’s wonderful to be recognised for the work that we and all the staff at the Roebuck put into making everyone’s experience here as enjoyable as it can be.”

Ed Bedington, editor of pub trade magazine The Morning Advertiser, said: “These awards celebrate everything that is so great about the Great British Pub, which is an institution the entire country should be proud of.

“I’m delighted to be able to announce that The Roebuck Inn has won the title of Freehouse of the Year. This is a pub that clearly stood out against a very competitive field and its recognition is much deserved.”

Ifeoma Dozie, brand director for John Smith’s, said: “Huge congratulations to The Roebuck for winning the Freehouse of the Year!  We are so lucky in this country to have an abundance of pubs – nowhere else in the world has pubs like us Brits.

“Pubs are central to all our lives – they’re the place where memories are made, from first dates, to birthday nights out, to great evenings with mates. They are so central to every village, town and city in the UK and the people who run them are pillars of their communities.  Pubs are the places where people come together whether it’s for a pub quiz, weekly karaoke, live local bands, stand-up comedy, or just to simply enjoy a refreshing pint.

“The raft of extraordinary pubs in this country is a testament  to the hard work of licensees up and down the country – so well done to not only the winner, but to every pub that made the shortlist.”

The Great British Pub Awards have been running for 17 years and saw more than 1,000 pubs in the running for titles across 17 different categories, ranging from Best Food Pub to Best Freehouse. The Roebuck was also shortlisted in the categories of Best Food Pub and Best Inn.

Bedington added: “Pubs are at the heart of the community across the UK and it’s a real honour to be able to celebrate some of the great sites and the landlords that run them, all of whom are striving to provide such a valuable service.”

 

 

 

BOOK REVIEW: Straight Expectations by Peggy Cryden

Straight Expectations

The Story of a Family in Transition

Peggy Cryden

A memoir of a mother’s experience of raising both a gay son and a gay, transgender son that acknowledges her own upbringing in an adopted family. Peggy, mother of two and hardworking professional in the field of mental health uses her lived experience, a great deal of humour and some startlingly simple insights to guide us through her personal narrative of raising children with her partner from birth to early adulthood.

Cryden as author offers insights with an engaging and pleasant prose, keeping both the energy of the story going along with the necessary learning and sharing from the growing as her family continues to challenge, change and develop into healthy and well-adjusted people.

Cryden allows us into her family life with a constructive viewpoint but doesn’t aim to gloss over or hide any of the difficulties and challenges along the way, but provides hope and clear constructive advice and further resources for other parents of LGBT children.

There are some wonderful anecdotes and stories featured in this book, and the book progresses up the current day with some honest and refreshing comments on her own personal journey into self-discovery and parenting.

An excellent book and most useful to any parent/s experiencing gender diversity matters with their children or who yearn to learn from lived and loving experience in how to equip their children to live without labels and grow up in a world apparently obsessed with them. With a short introduction from Janet E Goldstein-Ball to contextualise the flexible use of pronouns in the unfolding narrative.

Timely, insightful , recommended.

Paperback

£9.99

For more info or to buy the book see the publisher’s website* here:

*Jessica Kingsley Publishers is an independent company, committed to publishing books that make a difference.

The company publish books for professionals and general readers in a range of subjects. Are well known for book lists on the autism spectrum, social work, and arts therapies and have started to publish extensively in the fields of LGBTQ, gender and intersectionality, mental health, counselling, palliative care and practical theology.

They also have an interesting range of graphic novels across these subject areas and books for children, on issues including bereavement, depression and anger. Well worth checking out the books lists of this innovative fully inclusive publishers.

 

 

 

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