Interview: Tom Marshman

Ahead of the series’ next instalment at Arnolfini on Saturday, November 28, Bristol performer Tom Marshman introduces his Beacons, Icons and Dykons series – odes to gay and queer cinema, in which a film is screened alongside performances, talks and a diverse range of entertainment inspired by the film’s themes and heroes. 

So, Tom, tell us about Beacons, Icons and Dykons.
BID has been running now for five years – we had a little break but we are back now and hosting some really interesting artists thanks to Arts Council funding.
The idea has always been to create short, hit-and-run performances inspired by an over-looked, kitsch film that speaks to LGBTQ people. From Dolly Parton to Kenneth Anger and John Waters, we’re honouring them one by one.

Where have you taken the show thus far?
We started off in the Cube cinema, a perfect space for the show, but this year we have been showing work in other spaces around Bristol – the Museum (inspired by their Hogarth exhibition, pictured above), Trinity and now Arnnolfini.
Some of the performances are short and sweet and some are durational, so people can experience them in the bar or other spaces outside the theatre, like the car park (pictured below). We are open to what artist we work with, they don’t have to be LGBT, they just have to be open to making work for audiences that are.

What kind of message are you hoping to promote?
We want to create a social space like no other that I see happening in Bristol: something with a punk spirit, but where people can sit down. I want the work to be open to audiences that are older or have mobility issues, but still want to go out. We really want it to be cheap as it can be, so we set it at £5 – and you get a lot for your money.
The performances are raw, honest and made with passion – and can be poetic, elegant, rude and sexy. It’s a very open platform. With this new series of shows, we are trying a new approach where the performance sometimes interrupts the film or runs alongside it. We didn’t know how this would go but it seems to work well. Everyone wonders what is going to happen next!

Who will we see up onstage at the next BID?
We put out a call for local performers and we’re pleased that Isadora Vibes is performing with us for the first time. Paul Hurley is also back for our next event at Arnolfini. I host the show in my own chaotic style that I have been honing for years, I never pronounce peoples name right, get lost or say the wrong thing – but people seem to like this ‘anti-host’.
Liz Clarke has always a big part of Beacons. We went through a stage of calling her residence artist, then we changed it to resident glitter dispenser: now I think we just call her Liz, and she’s either performing during the nights or helping out with the workshops we have started running. This time we are running a workshop with Ausform, workshopping ways that people can play with make-up with artist Maxi More, who uses drag and a playful approach to make-up, fabric and fibres to undergo transformations. 
There’ll also be an after party at The Island. Both Liz and I will perform a little something, and we also have our favorite DJ, DJ Muther Fucker.

What’s been your most memorable BID moment to date?
I remember when Paul Hurley licked the stage floor of the Cube, in a jockstrap to a Shirley Bassey track: the floor probably wasn’t that clean. It was a very simple image but the memory of it will stick with me.

And what’s next for you?
On March 19 next year we will be back at the Cube for a showing of Derek Jarman’s masterpiece The Last of England. We’ll also have performances from Bristol-based Rachael Clerke and Bird La Bird, whom I have wanted to bring to BID for a long time.

The next Beacons, Icons and Dykons, featuring a screening of the film Pink Narcissus, is at Arnolfini on Saturday, November 28. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/beacons-icons-and-dykons-pink-narcissus