Presenting thought-provoking art, from musical theatre to oil painting

Creating music, writing books, painting portraits and making theatre: Brook Tate seems to do it all.

The creative, who has recently been recognised as one of Rife’s 30 under 30, has been making waves in Bristol since moving to the city in 2016, aged 23.

“I constantly make,” says Brook. “If I’m not drawing, I’m writing. If I’m not writing, I’m making music. My brain just loves making things.”

Since moving to the city, the artist has created two musicals, had his artwork shown across Bristol and London and performed as a solo musician and with a band.

His musicals, Mr Maglump and My Great Giraffe, have been highly praised by Andrew Lloyd Webber, but came from humble beginnings as stories told to Brook’s two nieces.

In 2019, Brook performed at an open stage event at Bristol Old Vic. Asked about any scripts he had written, he suggested the adaption of Mr Maglump, a longer story written for his nieces.

Developed over 18 months with Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Mr Maglump became Brook’s first theatre show. His second, My Great Giraffe, saw Brook forming the script, lyrics and composition in two months. As well as acting in the show, he also made puppets for the stage.

He is currently adapting My Great Giraffe into a children’s book musical and is working with Bristol Old Vic Theatre School on his third show.

Some of Brook’s most prolific work has been his fine art. His photorealistic portraits created with oil paints have been exhibited across the UK over the last four years. But. during the pandemic, he has been making more personal work and experimenting using line work and centring his sexuality as the theme.

“It was scary for me, I realised I had all this internalised homophobia,” says Brook of creating openly queer art. “I had a strict Christian upbringing and left at 23. I never felt comfortable painting male portraits out of fear of the reaction of people h had known my whole life.

“Now though, I’m learning to understand the male body as a subject, and learning to see my own body in a new way. It’s abstract – using colours I wouldn’t have used in the past. It feels like art therapy, and it’s influencing my music.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGsOyTkjwJg/

Music has been an important part of Brook’s LGBTQ+ journey and artistic expression. Moving to Bristol was a last-minute change from a planned nursing degree to be studied in Cardiff, and open mic slots were the then-23-year-olds way of exploring his sexuality and making new connections.

“I was playing at all these open mics, just me and my guitar,” he says. “In Hastings (where he grew up), writing music had been this secret outlet.

“In Bristol, I was finally able to talk about it (his sexuality). Now I have a band and I’m releasing all this music that’s way less cryptic.”

On his recognition as one of Bristol’s most influential under-30s, Brook says he was “surprised” but that that the award was empowering.

“Personally, my art is changing, I’m now openly gay, and it’s all intertwined,” he says.

“Young people have the power to influence and present provoking themes It’s especially powerful to be recognised at a time when it’s hard to remember all the pre-Covid work I did, like theatre.”

Brook Tate is a musician, theatre maker, artist and more. Photo: Brook Tate

As Brook’s work continues to evolve, he hopes to become an advocate for LGBTQ+ people as he builds a life for himself after leaving his strict Christian faith.

“I want to continue exploring new ways of working,” he says. “I want to embrace new skills and move forward, powerfully.”

Main photo: Brook Tate

Read more: The teenager making strides in the art world