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BOY GEORGE JOINS CELEBRATION OF GREENWICH THEATRE SUCCESS WITH THE TEMPERAMENTALS....
On Thursday 2 June Greenwich Theatre presented the final performance of THE TEMPERAMENTALS, the South London venue’s award-winning US drama about the rise of the first gay rights society, and to celebrate the success of the show the performance was followed by a celebrity panel discussion about the themes in the play.
Set in late 1940s America, THE TEMPERAMENTALS tells the story of the communist Harry Hay and the Viennese refugee and designer Rudi Gernreich who came together to build the Mattachine Society, the first gay rights organisation, in a world where danger was never far away and an intoxicating secrecy hung in the air.
After the show, musician and DJ Boy George, Liberal Democrat Mayoral Candidate Brian Paddick and playwright Patrick Wilde joined the cast of the show on stage to talk about their own experiences, and what the play meant to them. Boy George said “most young people think everything began with Britney! They don’t know about the names who were so important to me – people like Quentin Crisp and Divine. I’ve learnt something tonight from this play and I’ll definitely research it more.”
The play has already brought significant success to Greenwich Theatre, having been awarded the prestigious Doric Wilson Intercultural Dialogue Award at the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival in May.
Festival Artistic Director Brian Merriman said “The International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival is held in the mainstream to encourage and inform a dialogue between straight and gay society. This award is given to the play that educates mainstream society the most about gay life and culture. In both the writing and the production, The Temperamentals richly deserves this accolade.”
Greenwich Theatre Director James Haddrell said, “THE TEMPERAMENTALS marks an important moment for Greenwich Theatre, as we have brought together two of our young supported companies – Wild Oats Productions and City Lights Theatre Company – to create the show. We are also all very proud of having carried the name of Greenwich Theatre to an international festival and received such a positive response the show. Having such an impressive panel join us to celebrate the project is the icing on the cake.”
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