Glasgay! Festival
Encyclopedia
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, bisexual and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
arts festival
Arts festival
An arts festival is a festival that focuses on the visual arts in all its forms, but which may also focus on or include other arts.Arts festivals in the visual arts are exhibitions and are not to be confused with the commercial art fair. Artists participate in the most important of such festival...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
,
Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
As part of the diversity of Glasgow's cultural scene, Glasgow hosts an annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Arts Festival in November, organised by GALA Scotland Ltd.
History
First held in 1993, Glasgay! is now well and truly into its second decade and has expanded to 30 days in 2005 and is now the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's largest multi-arts festival for LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
people (and their friends), celebrating the talent and diversity of the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
LGBT community (and way beyond) the festival also provides a platform for aspiring artists.
Glasgay! is Scotland's annual celebration of queer culture. The festival was founded in 1993 by Cordelia Ditton and Dominic D'Angelo. The festival's operating company GALA Scotland Ltd was incorporated in 1995. The Company operates from its new base at Rose & Grants, 27-29 Trongate Glasgow G1 5EZ, located in the heart of Glasgow's Merchant City and a growing cultural quarter.
In February 2004 Steven Thomson was appointed Producer of the Glasgay! festival. Since his appointment the festival has grown from a small fortnight long festival of circa 3,000 attenders to a large month long celebration at nearly 20 venues attracting up to 25,000 visitors. He has successfully repositioned the festival as Scotland's annual celebration of queer culture, grown public funding, increased private sponsorship, and diversified the income base. The programme continues to have a strong international flavour and he is currently developing a programme of commissions of new work for the next three years ahead.
From 2005-2011 the Company operated the Q! Gallery, Scotland's first gallery dedicated to queer art and artists. In Autumn 2011 the festival opens its new cafe/deli/performance space, Rose & Grants, a deliberately theatrical small-scale cabaret and performance hub.
The Glasgay festival is presented annually from mid October to mid November. The festival presents a professional programme of top acts and new artists from around the world with events spanning comedy, music, film, theatre, visual art, performance art, literature, club nights, education events,community arts projects.
The programme is balance of high-profile visits from international artists from around the world and established and emergent artists from across the UK. The events take place at venues across Glasgow.
Glasgay is funded by Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland is a development body for arts and cultural industries in Scotland. It inherited the functions of Scottish Screen and the Scottish Arts Council on 1 July 2010, and has an additional remit for the Creative Industries...
and Glasgow City Council. The festival also receives commercial sponsorship and occasional grants from trusts and foundations.
The producer, the festival, and the city Glasgow have been given numerous awards since 2005 ... gay.com
Gay.com
gay.com is a chat, personals, and social networking website catering to the LGBT community. The site is a digital brand of Here Media Inc. In addition to community features, the site features LGBT-related news and features. As of September 2005, San Jose Mercury News ranked gay.com as the most...
Top 4th gay destination; Fodors and Frommers top destination of 2006 and the Producer listed as one of top 100 cultural movers and shakers of year (2005, 2006 & 2009) in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Main events
The Glasgay! Festival includes theatreTheatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, visual art, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, clubs, literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and exhibition
Art exhibition
Art exhibitions are traditionally the space in which art objects meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhibition". In American English, they may be called "exhibit", "exposition" or...
, covering a variety of venues across the Merchant City
Merchant City
The Merchant City is a district in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland.- History :The medieval Glasgow Cross was located on the road between High Street and Saltgait. Its modern replacement was built to the south-east of the original location to aid traffic. The town's tron was placed on the...
, City Centre and West End areas of Glasgow.
In 2008 Glasgay! became The Tennessee Williams Festival for one year only. A major celebration of the life and work of the author on the 25th anniversary of his death. The festival features four UK premieres of lesser known works, a major classic revival, and a six week classic film series at London’s BFI Southbank
BFI Southbank
BFI Southbank is the leading repertory cinema in the UK specialising in seasons of classic, independent and non-English language films and is operated by the British Film Institute.-History:...
, Glasgow Film Theatre
Glasgow Film Theatre
The Glasgow Film Theatre or GFT is an independent cinema in Rose Street, , Glasgow. GFT is a registered charity...
and Edinburgh Filmhouse.
On 29 March 2008 the Glasgay! festival secured a doubling in its funding till 2011 and announces an exciting programme of premieres for 2008 as part of its Tennessee Williams Festival. The Scottish Arts Council have awarded the annual Glasgay! festival flexible funding for a fixed term till 2011. At £60k annually this effectively doubles the Company's past annual grants.
The festival has also won a three year deal from Glasgow City Council as well as enjoying the continued support of Event Scotland and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau. This new support takes the festival to almost £¼ million turnover and secures its long term future growth and development.
2008 line up features Laurance Rudic
Laurance Rudic
Laurance Rudic is a British theatre artist best known for his long association as a leading member of the Glasgow Citizens Theatre company....
(formerly Citizens’ Theatre) in the UK premiere of The Parade, written when Tennessee first fell in love in 1940. The Scottish premiere of And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens, a lost gem about misdirected passions, deluded drag queens and seedy straight boys. The Municipal Abattoir and The Chalky White Substance, one act plays in which two men battle for survival in post apocalyptic worlds where institutional murder is sanctioned. The festival will also feature a new bio-play called Elysian Fields by Derek McLuckie focussing on the life and curious death of Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
.
The line-up also includes performances from Stephen Petronio Dance (New York, USA) Scotland's Theatre Cryptic; Pacitti Co.(UK); Dilly Keane (Fascinating Aida
Fascinating Aida
Fascinating Aïda is a British comedy singing group and satirical cabaret act, which has retired twice, most recently in 2004. After the death in 2007 of the group's pianist and musical director, Russell Churney, all plans for a new show were shelved. Some of their most famous songs include...
); visual art from David Trullo
David Trullo
David Trullo is a Spanish visual artist born in Madrid in 1969. One of the most promising of young Hispanic artists, he was artist in residence in the Irish Museum of Modern Art and selected in Backlight International Triennial for Photography, Tampere, Finland .The recurrent themes in his...
(Spain) and Gregor Laird (Scotland); as well as BOUT!QUE, a four-week programme of contemporary performance from newly emerging Scottish artists.
The 2007 festival ran from 12 October to 11 November and was bigger than ever.
Theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
highlights include: Little Johnny's Big Gay Musical by Randomaccomplice at The Arches
The Arches
The Arches may mean:* The Arches , a theatre, arts venue and nightclub in Glasgow* The Arches , a nightclub in London* The Arches , a nightclub in Sheffield* The Arches is also a viaduct from EastEnders...
, Venus as a Boy
Venus as a Boy
"Venus as a Boy" is a song by Björk, released as the second single from her 1993 album Debut.-Background:Björk explained in an interview with David Hemingway:...
by National Theatre Scotland at Citizens' Theatre
Citizens' Theatre
The Citizens Theatre is based in Glasgow, Scotland and is the principal producing theatre in the west of Scotland. The theatre includes a 500-seat Main Auditorium, and two studio theatres, the Circle Studio and the Stalls Studio .The Citizen's Theatre repertory group, originally called the Citizen's...
, Tamburlaine Must Die
Tamburlaine Must Die
Tamburlaine Must Die is a novella written by Louise Welsh, which imagines the last days of Christopher Marlowe's life in 1593. The novella was published in 2004 by Canongate Books...
by Tron Theatre Company at Tron Theatre
Tron Theatre
The Tron Theatre is located at the corner of Trongate and Chisholm Street, in the Merchant City area of Glasgow, Scotland.From its early years as a theatre club, the Tron has grown into a thriving multi-faceted venue...
, Amie Lame's Mama Cass Family Singers at Tron Theatre
Tron Theatre
The Tron Theatre is located at the corner of Trongate and Chisholm Street, in the Merchant City area of Glasgow, Scotland.From its early years as a theatre club, the Tron has grown into a thriving multi-faceted venue...
and FIT
Fit
Fit or FIT may refer to:Fitness* Physical fitness, how well a person is suited for physical tasks* FitTV, cable television network about physical fitness* Wii Fit, Nintendo Wii video game about physical fitness...
by Queerupnorth and Stonewall
Stonewall
The word Stonewall may refer to* a stone wall* a verb meaning "to refuse to cooperate, especially in supplying information" -Games and entertainment:* "Stonewall structure" of pawns in the chess opening theory:** Stonewall Attack...
at CCA
CCA
CCA can refer to:*ICAO callsign for Air China*California Charter Academy*California College of the Arts*California Culinary Academy*Canadian Canoe Association*Canadian Cascade Arc*Canadian Cat Association*Canadian Centre for Architecture...
. Boutique theatre will also feature across the four weeks of the 2007 festival at Q! Studio. Performances include; Colette, The Secret Scenes by Yvonne Caddell, Reality
Reality
In philosophy, reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible...
by Martin O'Connor
Martin O'Connor
Martin O'Connor may refer to:*Martin O'Connor , English former football and manager*Martin J. O'Connor , British television producer and executive...
, Stick It In My Party Hole by Glass Eyed and 3 Minutes: A Speed-Dating Road Show With A Difference by The Glitterbox Paradox.
Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
highlights include: Mauricio Virgens and Paul MacAlindin in We Two Boys Together at RSAMD, Carol Laula and Band performing songs from her forthcoming new album at St Andrew's in the Square
St Andrew's in the Square
St Andrew's in the Square is an 18th Century category-A-listed former church in Glasgow, Scotland, considered one of the finest classical churches in Britain, and now Glasgow's Centre for Scottish Culture, promoting Scottish music, song and dance...
, David Paul Jones performing Palmstar Poppy.
Visual Art highlights include: Glittering Shadows by Dani Marti at Q! Studio and Beyond The Surface by Andrew Printer at Q! Gallery.
Film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
highlights from Glasgow Film Theatre
Glasgow Film Theatre
The Glasgow Film Theatre or GFT is an independent cinema in Rose Street, , Glasgow. GFT is a registered charity...
(GFT) include: The Bubble
The Bubble
The Bubble may refer to:* The Bubble , an American science fiction film by Arch Oboler* The Bubble , an Israeli film by Eytan Fox* "The Bubble" , episode 15 of season 3 of American television comedy 30 Rock...
by Eytan Fox
Eytan Fox
-Biography:Fox was born in New York City and moved with his family to Israel when he was two. His father, Seymour Fox, was a Conservative rabbi and a leading professor of Jewish education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His mother, Sara Kaminker-Fox, was the head of the Jerusalem city...
, Puccini For Beginners
Puccini for Beginners
Puccini for Beginners is a 2006 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Maria Maggenti. The film debuted at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival...
by Maria Maggenti
Maria Maggenti
Maria Maggenti is a film director and screenwriter for film and television.She has been the script editor and has written many episodes of the American television series, Without a Trace , but is perhaps best known for her feature film, The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love...
, Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds
Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds
Eating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds is a gay-themed romantic comedy film released in 2006. It is the sequel to Eating Out and Jim Verraros, Rebekah Kochan, and Emily Brooke Hands reprise their roles from the original...
by Philip Bartell and The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only published novel by Oscar Wilde, appearing as the lead story in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine on 20 June 1890, printed as the July 1890 issue of this magazine...
by Duncan Roy
Duncan Roy
Duncan Roy , is an English film director and producer, script writer, art director and television personality.-Early life:...
.
Comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
highlights include: The Music of Dirty Dancing at King's Theatre
King's Theatre, Glasgow
The King's Theatre is located in Glasgow, Scotland. It was built for Howard & Wyndham Ltd under its chairman Baillie Michael Simons as a sister theatre of their Theatre Royal in the city and was designed by Frank Matcham, opening in 1904. The theatre is primarily a receiving house for touring...
, Grumpy Old Women LIVE
Grumpy Old Women Live
Grumpy Old Women Live is a stage show based on the series BBC television series Grumpy Old Women.-Inception:The idea of a live show of Grumpy Old Women, which had already been successful on the television, came about in Spring 2005 to producer Judith Holder and Grumpy contributor Jenny Eclair, and...
at Theatre Royal
Theatre Royal, Glasgow
The Theatre Royal is the oldest theatre in Glasgow, located at 282 Hope Street in Cowcaddens. The theatre originally opened in 1867, changing its name to the Theatre Royal in 1869, and is the longest running theatre in Scotland...
, Tina C at The Stand
The Stand
The Stand is a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel by American author Stephen King. It demonstrates the scenario in his earlier short story, Night Surf...
, Comedy Explosion at The Stand
The Stand
The Stand is a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel by American author Stephen King. It demonstrates the scenario in his earlier short story, Night Surf...
, Wicked Wenches at The Stand
The Stand
The Stand is a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel by American author Stephen King. It demonstrates the scenario in his earlier short story, Night Surf...
, Licence Pending at Tron Victorian Bar, Craig Hill Makin' A Big Song & Dance! at Tron Theatre
Tron Theatre
The Tron Theatre is located at the corner of Trongate and Chisholm Street, in the Merchant City area of Glasgow, Scotland.From its early years as a theatre club, the Tron has grown into a thriving multi-faceted venue...
and Scott Capurro
Scott Capurro
-Television appearances:-Stage appearances:-Personal life:In October 2006 Capurro purchased a flat in Bethnal Green and considers himself a London resident.-External links:* * *...
's Premature Gift at The Stand
The Stand
The Stand is a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel by American author Stephen King. It demonstrates the scenario in his earlier short story, Night Surf...
.
Clubs highlights include: The Big Gay Prom at St Andrew's in the Square
St Andrew's in the Square
St Andrew's in the Square is an 18th Century category-A-listed former church in Glasgow, Scotland, considered one of the finest classical churches in Britain, and now Glasgow's Centre for Scottish Culture, promoting Scottish music, song and dance...
, Death Disco
Death Disco
"Death Disco" is a song by Public Image Ltd. The record was released in both 7" and 12" single formats with a "1/2 mix" of the song and "Megga mix" on the 12" version...
at The Arches
The Arches
The Arches may mean:* The Arches , a theatre, arts venue and nightclub in Glasgow* The Arches , a nightclub in London* The Arches , a nightclub in Sheffield* The Arches is also a viaduct from EastEnders...
and Utter Gutter with two nights during the 2007 Festival, including Cock, Rock & Frock Fancy Dress Birthday Bash to celebrate being three years young.
This year a major exhibition forms part of Glasgay!; Kylie - The Exhibition at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland. The building houses one of Europe's great civic art collections...
showcasing 'All Things Kylie' from across her career.
Highlights from the 2005 festival included music from Marc Almond
Marc Almond
Marc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
, comedy from Pam Ann
Pam Ann
Pam Ann is the air hostess alter-ego of Australian comedienne Caroline Reid. Performances focus on the nuances of air travel, identifying the individual quirks of some of the biggest international airlines and their media stereotypes. Her style leans towards camp humour, in the vein of Dame Edna...
and Topping & Butch and readings from Chloe Poems and Queer Stories, launching a year of storytelling with the LGBT community in Scotland.
Main venues
Venues include the Glasgow Film TheatreGlasgow Film Theatre
The Glasgow Film Theatre or GFT is an independent cinema in Rose Street, , Glasgow. GFT is a registered charity...
(GFT), the CCA
CCA
CCA can refer to:*ICAO callsign for Air China*California Charter Academy*California College of the Arts*California Culinary Academy*Canadian Canoe Association*Canadian Cascade Arc*Canadian Cat Association*Canadian Centre for Architecture...
, Tron Theatre
Tron Theatre
The Tron Theatre is located at the corner of Trongate and Chisholm Street, in the Merchant City area of Glasgow, Scotland.From its early years as a theatre club, the Tron has grown into a thriving multi-faceted venue...
, Citizens' Theatre
Citizens' Theatre
The Citizens Theatre is based in Glasgow, Scotland and is the principal producing theatre in the west of Scotland. The theatre includes a 500-seat Main Auditorium, and two studio theatres, the Circle Studio and the Stalls Studio .The Citizen's Theatre repertory group, originally called the Citizen's...
, The Arches
The Arches
The Arches may mean:* The Arches , a theatre, arts venue and nightclub in Glasgow* The Arches , a nightclub in London* The Arches , a nightclub in Sheffield* The Arches is also a viaduct from EastEnders...
, King's Theatre
King's Theatre, Glasgow
The King's Theatre is located in Glasgow, Scotland. It was built for Howard & Wyndham Ltd under its chairman Baillie Michael Simons as a sister theatre of their Theatre Royal in the city and was designed by Frank Matcham, opening in 1904. The theatre is primarily a receiving house for touring...
, Theatre Royal
Theatre Royal, Glasgow
The Theatre Royal is the oldest theatre in Glasgow, located at 282 Hope Street in Cowcaddens. The theatre originally opened in 1867, changing its name to the Theatre Royal in 1869, and is the longest running theatre in Scotland...
, RSAMD, St Andrew's in the Square
St Andrew's in the Square
St Andrew's in the Square is an 18th Century category-A-listed former church in Glasgow, Scotland, considered one of the finest classical churches in Britain, and now Glasgow's Centre for Scottish Culture, promoting Scottish music, song and dance...
, Art School
Art school
Art school is a general term for any educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. The term applies to institutions with elementary, secondary, post-secondary or undergraduate, or graduate or...
, The Stand
The Stand
The Stand is a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel by American author Stephen King. It demonstrates the scenario in his earlier short story, Night Surf...
, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland. The building houses one of Europe's great civic art collections...
and Glasgow's gay scene.