Member Profile:  Queer Up North

Every couple of months we profile the work of members in different centres around the country and abroad.  We’re really proud to be supporting such interesting, diverse and progressive organisations and these profiles give you the opportunity to read about the great work they do. Ric Watts, Queer Up North Producer explains:

“The first Queer up North festival was hosted in Manchester in 1992, and led to the set up of the organisation, pioneering festivals of this type in Europe. The festival presents the huge wealth of gay and lesbian performance art that is being produced all around the world. At last year’s festival we had performers from Italy, South Africa, USA, France and Canada, as well as performers from the UK.   

At this year’s festival we’ll be presenting a programme of newly-commissioned theatre work, a major arts exhibition, a number of world and UK premieres, several international artists and the return of our Spiegeltent - a travelling wooden tent from the 1930's filled with music, cabaret and comedy.  

We exist to support and develop the very best queer arts and culture. We are committed to experimentation and innovation, and we have achieved considerable success by breaking boundaries with the work we create. Our programmes get to the heart of important contemporary issues such as sexual identities, gender relations, and the importance of the arts in society.  

Alongside the festival we run a participatory project called BLAZE, working with young people and community groups across Greater Manchester. We run workshops and performances in partnership with a wide range of organisations, working to engage more people with the arts across the northwest.  

We’re also working with Community Arts Northwest, also in Green Fish, and the University of Manchester, to set up a theatre project that will use drama techniques and storytelling to give local groups of queer asylum seekers the opportunity to tell their stories.  It's an exciting collaboration for us. CAN are experts in arts projects with the refugee community, and we bring vast experience in participatory arts with queer groups.”  

Queer Up North work out of the Green Fish Resource Centre in Manchester.  For more information on the centre take a look at our Manchester Page. For more information on Queer Up North go to www.queerupnorth.com.