Theatre / Astro-Zenica
A ‘love letter’ inspired by Bristol’s Lesbian and Gay Switchboard
For almost 40 years, Bristol had its own switchboard for the LGBTQ+ community.
The Bristol Lesbian and Gay Switchboard (BLAGS) was one of the earliest queer phone support lines in the country, opening one year after the London Gay Switchboard began.
It was founded by Dale Wakefield, who passed away in 2020, from the back room of her mum’s Totterdown home in 1975.
is needed now More than ever
The pioneering listening service forms the inspiration a new show from Bristol performance artist James Crawley, better known as Astro-Zenica, who aims to “breathe life into the histories of the many people who used the service”.
Wakefield founded BLAGS in response to a clear need for information and a listening ear – photo: Bristol Design
Switchboard with Astro-Zenica draws on archival research, call logs from the switchboard, and oral histories about queer nightlife and protest in the 1970s and 80s – exploring the myriad codes and languages developed by queer people to reach out, hook-up and find community.
Taking place at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery on February 14, the show explores topics from class and violence to visibility, hedonism, sexual freedom and community.
Astro describes it as “a Valentine’s Day love letter to the radical queers, the club promoters, the party starters, the drag artists, the volunteers at the switchboard, and most of all to Dale Wakefield.”
Astro said: “Creating the show has been an absolute marvel and to recognise I am holding something that is far greater than myself is marvellous.
“Dreaming into all of these stories and breathing life into the histories of the many people who called up the Switchboard is phenomenal, and I mean that in its fullest sense of the word.
“It’s phenomenal. It feels as though I am still at the early beginnings of something far greater.
They added: “This show links many ideas, over many periods of time, to the happenings of now. You can see the connections, as visible as telephone wires draped across the sky.
“This process has been very rewarding in that respect and I am excited to present my ideas on the night.”
Starting at 7.30pm, tickets cost £10 to £12 and can be purchased here.
Main photo: Manu Matus (@manumatusphoto)
Read next:
- ‘A watershed moment for putting LGBTQ+ people on the map’
- Trans community and supporters stage Section 35 protest
- They’d say “I’ve never spoken to someone gay before” and often they would cry’
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