271 February/March 2025 Download PDF
Storyhouse Queer is a community festival held in partnership with Chester Pride and co-created with people from local LGBTQIA+ communities of all ages, in response to demand from groups and individuals in the city and beyond. All members of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies are welcome. Here are some of the highlights....
Join us for a week celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community in Chester and beyond with film, performances, workshops and more!
We told you about a few of the highlights of this year's Storyhouse Queer in the last issue of the Cheese. Here's some more of what's on offer. Let's start with the free stuff...
Queer Social
Saturday 1 February 10am - 2pm, The Kitchen FREE Drop In
Storyhouse Kitchen will play host to Chester’s many LGBTQ+ social groups. Come along solo or with friends and see what’s out there for you to take part in, or even find other like-minded people and start a new club.
Exhibition: Pride Quilts and Banners
20 January - 26 February Storyhouse FREE Drop In
This vibrant and colourful exhibition brought to Storyhouse by local charities Body Positive and Radiate Arts showcases talents and stories from across Cheshire, and continues the tradition with the creation of a new Cheshire and Northwich Community Pride Quilt. Plus, join us for a one-off workshop with the Northwich and Cheshire Pride Community Quilt Project on Sunday 2 February to design and make your own panel for the quilt. More details below.
Movement Workshop with Indigo Spice
Saturday 1 February 1pm Garret Theatre
Join Indigo Spice for an interactive workshop to explore the art of hand and arm gestures in South Asian performance arts. Attendees will get a chance to learn a little bit about the history of the artforms involved before trying out different techniques, with an invitation to share some of their own stories through movement. The workshop can be done sitting down but requires mobility of hands and arms.
Mini Pride with Curious Arts
Saturday 1 February 10am - 2pm The Kitchen FREE Drop In
Join Curious Arts at Storyhouse Queer for Mini Pride, a joyous celebration of individuality and creativity! Ignite your imagination by taking part in fun activities from colourful arts and crafts to inclusive storytimes with our Curious Artists. A welcoming, relaxed space for families, be Proud and celebrate with us! Suitable for ages 3-7 and their families.
Proud Marys
Saturday 1 February 2.30 & 4pm The Kitchen FREE Drop In
Chester’s LGBTQ+ choir will be bringing their lively, joyous and vibrant performance style to the Kitchen. Proud Marys share a love of music, a sense of pride in who you are and a passion for celebrating diversity in Chester and the surrounding area.
Queer Spotlight Fashion Show
Saturday 1 February 3pm - 4pm The Kitchen FREE Drop In
Radiate Arts bring us the best of Chester’s creative talents in this vibrant fashion show designed, created and modelled by the local community.
Storyhouse Queer Book Swap
Tues 28 January 5pm - 10pm The Kitchen FREE Drop In
Want to expand your library? Bring a book (or several!) that you’ve enjoyed and swap it for a new one. There will be space to chat with other book lovers and exchange recommendations. The books don’t have to be LGBTQ+ but if they are that’s even better!
This year, all of the non headline events will be 'pay what you can' or FREE! Including brand-new theatre shows, dance, poetry and more – join us for a series of talks, performances and workshops throughout the week.
Daddy's First Gay Date (Work In Progress)
Friday 31 January 7.30pm Garret Theatre
The show explores identity and self-acceptance in a candid and humorous way, whilst stewing in the awkwardness of ‘first dates’. This is a work in progress show, followed by a Q&A with the writer/performer Sam Danson, and director Rikki Beadle-Blair.
Queer Voices: Writing Masterclass
Saturday 1 February 10.30am Garret Theatre
Join Sam Danson (BI-TOPIA, Daddy’s First Gay Date), and Rikki Beadle-Blair, an award-winning screenwriter, playwright, director and mentor, in this exclusive 2 hour workshop where you’ll develop key skills inauthentically putting Queer voices at the forefront of your storytelling. This session is open to everybody, but with limited spaces, a priority is on those who identify as LGBTQ+ (or those with significant experience of the LGBTQ+ community).
History, Herstory, Theirstory
400 Years of LGBTQ+ Histories in Cheshire
Saturday 1 February 5pm Garret Theatre
Join Cheshire Archives as we journey through 400 years of the county’s LGBTQ+ histories as part of this year's Storyhouse Queer. The talk begins with an introduction to researching LGBTQ+ histories followed by a presentation of some of Cheshire Archives collections highlighting LGBTQ+ histories from across the county. We are joined by members of Silver Rainbows who will deliver ‘living history’ performances of their stories and experiences from the late 20th to early 21st centuries.
How To Be A Better Ally
Sunday 2 February 11am Garret Theatre
Some of the most important people in the fight for equality and inclusion are the allies who are not LGBTQ+, but support the community and people that are. But how can we be effective in our support? This session run by Chester Pride will give you practical tips and information to learn how you can be a better ally to all LGBTQ+ people, especially those who are vulnerable, and show how you can help in the fight to end discrimination.
Queer Poetry Workshop
Sunday 2 February 1.30pm Garret Bar
Join writer, poet and performer K.C. Finn for a poetry and spoken word workshop focused on representation, celebration, joy, and pride. The workshop will take you through different stages of idea generation both on your own and in small groups, with time at the end for anyone who wants to perform their work to receive positive feedback from fellow participants. You don’t need any experience and you don’t have to perform, just come with an open mind and willingness to explore new ways of expressing yourself.
Community Quilt Project Workshop
Sunday 2 February 1pm The Kitchen
The Northwich and Cheshire Pride Community Quilt Project seeks to bring people together to create handmade patches, each representing local figures, organisations, friends, family, and personal journeys within the LGBT+ community. In this workshop you’ll design and make your own panel to add to the quilt.
Visit www.storyhouse.com/seasons/storyhouse-queer for full details and pricing of all these events and more.
Tue 28 Jan 2025
Cheshire Cheese
Bridgewater House
230 Edleston Road
Crewe
CW2 7EH
Tel 01270 653150
© 2025 Body Positive Cheshire & North Wales (Registered Charity 1009850)