Skip to content

Factory International presents

The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions

Part of: Manchester International Festival 2023

Fantasy meets liberation in this queer retelling of world history.

Step into a world where fables and myths celebrate queer community, friendship and pleasure: a manifesto for survival for the marginalised everywhere.

Based on the 1977 cult book by Larry Mitchell and Ned Asta, The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions is a music theatre piece that reimagines the history of the world through a queer lens.

In this musical adaptation by composer Philip Venables and director Ted Huffman, the original text is taken on a kaleidoscopic journey by a cast of actors, singers and musicians.

Together they conjure up a world on the brink of revolution – expect battle re-enactments crossed with cheerleading, all night raves mixed with lute songs and court dances.

The result is a joyful celebration of queer experience that’s both vulnerable and provocative. A space where deeply personal stories are shared and soothed through community.

Radical and playful, The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions brings together theatre, dance and song for the ultimate anarchic bedtime story.

The performance on Friday 30 June features a post-show discussion with Philip Venables and Ted Huffman and hosted by Scottee included with your ticket.

Meet in foyer 1.30pm.

A 1.30pm Touch Tour is availble on Sunday 2 July (before the 3pm Audio Described Performance).

Commissioned by Factory International, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Bregenzer Festspiele and NYU Skirball. Produced by Factory International for Manchester International Festival.

Under exclusive licence and courtesy by Nightboat Books, New York

CREATIVE TEAM

Music – Philip Venables

Direction & Text – Ted Huffman

Music Direction – Yshani Perinpanayagam

Choreography & Costume Design – Theo Clinkard

Set Design – Rosie Elnile

Lighting Design – Bertrand Couderc

Sound Design – Simon Hendry

Dramaturg – Scottee

 

Cast
Yshani Perinpanayagam, Kerry Bursey, Deepa Johnny, Jacob Garside, Katherine Goforth, Kit Green, Conor Gricmanis, Mariamielle Lamagat, Eric Lamb, Themba Mvula, Meriel Price, Collin Shay, Joy Smith, Sally Swanson and Yandass

 

Exhibition

Balmy Army

Sat 1 July - Sun 17 Sep

A movement for youth-led mental health. This is art and activism rolled into one show - expect the unexpected.

Read more

Theatre

Rimini Protokoll presents

All right. Good night.

Part of Manchester International Festival. A meditation on disappearance, loss and how to deal with uncertainty

Read more

event

Presented by Manchester International Festival

Manchester International Festival 2023

29 June - 16 July

Taking place every two years, the Festival’s world-renowned for work that cuts across disciplines and blurs the boundaries between art and popular culture. Happening all…

Read more

Show information

Duration:
1 hour and 30 minutes

  • The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions deals with sexual liberation in an explicit way. The production also makes reference to discrimination and violence against the queer community.
  • This production contains loud music and flashing lights
  • Age Guidance: 16yrs+
  • Running time: 1h 40mins (no interval)

A note from us, the creative team and Manchester International Festival

We recognise that faggot is a provocative word – one that for many isn’t easy to read or hear.

When Larry Mitchell wrote and published the book in 1977, he sought to reclaim the word in a loving, supportive and positive way. This follows a long process of reclamation by parts of the LGBTQIA+ community of words that have previously been seen as only negative – including using the word queer as a collective term.

The inclusion of the word faggot in this production marks that intention and is a deliberate choice by the creative team. Since the book was published in 1977, conversations about gender diversity within the queer community have also evolved, and this is reflected in both the language the show
uses and the casting.

Factory International (the organisation behind Manchester International Festival) is collaborating with a care consultant, who is a practitioner of care- focused devised work with expertise working within the queer community, to create safe rehearsal and performance space.

Some of the care practices we will put in place include daily check ins and check outs, an invitation to respond to an access questionnaire and an anonymous feedback form to help the team better identify and understand the needs of the company.

We will build on the learnings gained from this process as a part of our organisational commitment to the care of the artists, crew and staff we work with.

For anyone who feels affected by any of the issues raised around discrimination towards the LGBTQIA+ community in this production, we would like to signpost to the LGBT Foundation, The Proud Trust and Stonewall for their expert resources, help and advice.

Ticket information

  • Tickets £28 – concessions and discounts available

£10 lower-income tickets are available for this show. Use the promo code HOME10 to access these tickets. 

Manchester International Festival runs a low-cost ticket scheme for local audiences, which is designed to make MIF events more accessible to more people across Greater Manchester.

We suggest that anything around or below an annual full-time salary of £18,000, which approximately equates to the UK Living Wage, could be considered a lower wage.

These £10 tickets are available on a first-come, first-served honesty basis, and are limited to a maximum of one ticket per person per event.

The performance on Friday 30 June features a post-show discussion with Philip Venables and Ted Huffman and hosted by Scottee included with your ticket.

Access information

  • All performances are surtitled for everyone
  • Audio Described Performance – Sunday 2 July 3pm
  • British Sign Language Interpreted Performance – Saturday 1 July 7.30pm
  • Relaxed Performance – Sunday 2 July 3pm