Grand Theatre celebrates 50 years of Pride with LGBT-themed plays

Riot Act, a comedy celebration of queer activism across the decades, will appear at the theatre on July 16. It will be followed by The MP, Aunty Mandy and Me on September 28 and 29, which also marks the official relaunch of the venue’s intimate STUDIO space, which has previously staged many uniquely modern performances.

Riot Act, by Alexis Gregory, is a solo show crafted from interviews with three key players in the history of the LGBTQ+ rights movement: Michael Anthony Nozzi, a survivor of the Stonewall Riots, Lavina Co-op, an alternative ‘70s drag artist, and Paul Burston, a ‘90s London AIDS activist. The show takes audiences on a ride through six decades of queer history, from the 1960s when homosexuality was legalised in the UK, up to the present day.

The MP, Aunty Mandy & Me uses dark humour to delve into themes of consent, coercion and grooming within the gay male community. Hero Dom wants more than anything else to be an Instagram influencer, but struggles with social anxiety and feelings of isolation coming from living with his Simply Red-loving mum in a small northern village five miles from anywhere. Then one day, a chance encounter with his local MP turns his whole life upside-down.

For further details, full show listings and bookings please visit blackpoolgrand.co.uk or call the box office on 01253 290 190.

A spokesman for the theatre spokesman said: “Blackpool Grand Theatre has long been a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and is thrilled to be able to help celebrate half a century of the Pride Festival.

"The first UK Pride event took place in London in 1972 as a protest rally in response to the Stonewall riots in New York, which were sparked by police raiding a downtown gay bar. These days London Pride is still seen as a protest but is also a massive celebration that welcomes over 1.5 million people each year.”

This year’s Blackpool Pride Festival will take place on the weekend starting June 11, with the parade starting at the South Pier and then heading along the Promenade to finish at North Pier. The main Pride arena will be at Princess Parade behind the Metropole hotel, with live entertainment from 11am.

Tickets to Pride cost £8.25 each, or £5.50 for children, and can be bought online.