Inkbrew Productions is thrilled to present: The Adhesion of Love as the 2019 national heritage premiere for LGBT History Month. Touring venues in Lancashire, Manchester and Salford 9 February to 31 May.
Written by multi-award winning playwright Stephen M Hornby, The Adhesion of Love tells the extraordinary true story of how an architect’s assistant from Bolton crossed the Atlantic in 1891 to meet the visionary queer poet Walt Whitman. The production builds on previous National Heritage Premiere successes: The Burnley Buggers Ball & Burnley’s Lesbian Liberator (2017); Mister Stokes: The Man-Woman of Manchester (2016); and A Very Victorian Scandal (2015).
In 1885, John W Wallace, a working-class man from Bolton, sets up the Eagle Street ‘College’, a book group that celebrates his love for Walt Whitman’s poetry. Attracting a small group of like-minded men, Wallace embarks on a journey of spiritual and sexual self-discovery through Whitman’s words. When Wallace arrives in America six years later and meets his literary hero face-to-face, he is forced to confront the true nature of the intimacy the college members are seeking. On his return to Bolton, Wallace is unsure how to express his new sexual and spiritual awakening within in the conservative confines of Victorian England.
Stephen M Hornby, playwright in residence to LGBT History Month, Artistic Director of Inkbrew Productions and writer of The Adhesion of Love says:
“Throughout the past lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans narratives have been ‘hetero-washed’ and omitted from official accounts – I’ve lost count of the number of ‘spinsters’ and ‘ageing eligible bachelors’ there are in literary history! As an openly gay playwright with a keen interest in history, it’s my aim to queer the past and uncover what really went on behind closed doors.
“Bolton’s connection with Walt Whitman, whilst surprising, is well documented and celebrated in Lancashire. But the true nature of the intimate meetings of men at the Eagle Street College has been kept hidden from view. The Adhesion of Love attempts to reclaim ‘comradely love’ as what I believe it really was – men attempting to express their true desire for one another in a sexually repressive society – as well as posing the question: if LGBT people had been able to write their own history, what would it look like?”
Matt Cain, writer of The Madonna of Bolton, patron of Bolton Pride and LGBT History Month, journalist and author says:
“The Adhesion of Love is a gripping and fascinating play about a group of characters whose stories aren’t widely known but very much ought to be. It’s vital that this play is performed in Bolton, the town in which it’s largely set, not just to reclaim the area’s LGBT past but also to make all parts of the UK more LGBT-inclusive places to live in the present.”
Professor Sue Sanders, Chair and founder of LGBT History Month UK says:
“George Orwell said: ‘The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.’ I founded LGBT History Month as LGBT people in all their diversity were still invisible, especially in the past. Theatre is a crucial part of LGBT History Month and enables people to learn, through the heart as well as the head. I’m thrilled that Stephen is back dramatising new and surprising LGBT history for our celebrations in 2019.”
2019 is also the bicentennial of Whitman’s birth and this full-length play offers an amazing new insight into his work and influence on the UK.
The Adhesion of Love is supported by Arts Council England, Superbia and LGBT History Month.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
LISTINGS DETAILS
Saturday 9 February, 2pm – Burnley Central Library, Burnley – FREE
Wednesday 13 February, 7:30pm – ALRA North, Wigan – £8/£5
Wednesday 20 February, 7:00pm – Martin Harris Centre, Manchester – £9/£6
Thursday 28 February, 7:30pm – New Adelphi Studio, Salford – £9/£6
Saturday 16 March, 2:00pm – Bolton Museum, Bolton – FREE (booking required)
Thursday 21 March, 7:00pm – Bolton Museum, Bolton – £8/£5
Friday 31 May, 7:30pm – Bolton Socialists Club, Bolton – £10
Running time: 2 hours, plus 10 minute interval
For more information and how to book visit: www.outingthepast.org.uk/festival-theatre/ #TheAdhesionOfLove
About Stephen M Hornby
Stephen M Hornby is a multi-award winning playwright and National Playwright in Residence to LGBT History Month. He has spent six months of meticulous research creating the play as part of a PhD in playwriting from archive. His previous work has included Die Diana (winner of the Greater Manchester Fringe Best Drama Award), Loving Her, Loving Him (“A fine script”-The Reviews Hub) and The Burnley Bugger’s Ball (“Hilarious. 5 STARS.”- Remotegoat). Stephen was honoured with the 2018 WINGS award by the Swedish International Lesbian & Gay Culture Network for his short film Unchechen.
Twitter and Instagram: @stephenmhornby
About Inkbrew Productions
Inkbrew Productions was formed in 2016 to specialise in creating innovate and compelling heritage performance and short film. The company is the official production partner to LGBT History Month in England, and is currently also working with Islington Museum in London and the People’s History Museum in Manchester.
Facebook: /inkbrewproductions Twitter: @inkbrew Instagram: @inkbrewproduction
About LGBT History Month
LGBT History Month is a month-long annual observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements taking place across the globe. LGBT History Month provides role models, builds community, and represents a civil rights statement about the contributions of the LGBT community. In the U.K. it takes place in February.
www.lgbthistorymonth.org Twitter:@LGBTHM