Following the runaway success of multi-award winning production COAL and the critically acclaimed WASTELAND, the Gary Clarke Company heads to Lowry this May with its hotly anticipated new dance theatre show, DETENTION.
Propelled by Clarke’s powerful and deeply affecting working-class storytelling, DETENTION examines the long shadow of Section 28, the oppressive piece of legislation passed by Thatcher’s government in 1988 which prohibited the promotion of homosexuality – or the teaching of its acceptability – in schools around the country.
At a time when the country was beset by industrial decline and the gay community faced ongoing devastation in the midst of the AIDS epidemic, the doctrine forced LGBT+ Britons into an unseen exile full of secrecy, fear and shame.
Drawing on public and private stories, personal testimonies and a rare insight into the LGBT+ Switchboard logbooks, DETENTION blends unflinching and poignant narratives with a striking audiovisual backdrop, music tracks by the legendary TEST DEPT. and vivid choreography performed by a company of accomplished dancers to offer a defiant, stirring exploration of the violence, isolation, protests, allies, extraordinary figures and pioneering organisations that defined a pivotal moment in history.
Book tickets below.
Wed 14 May - Thu 15 May, 8pm, The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ, From £113
thelowry.com
- Words:
- Wolf McFarlane
- Published on:
- Thu 3 Apr 2025
