Gassed by John Singer Sargent

Gassed (1919)
John Singer Sargent (American, 1856-1925)
Oil on Canvas
90½ x 240 in.
Imperial War Museums, London

Queers: Eight Monologues curated by Mark Gatiss

London : Nick Hern Books, 2017

Queers was published on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act which partially decriminalized sex between men in England and Wales. It would not become law in Scotland until 1980 and Northern Ireland until 1982.

Gatiss has brought together eight monologues written by himself and seven other playwrights, each taking place around a critical person or at a critical moment in history to illustrate the lives of queers in the Commonwealth over the last 100 years. Covering Oscar Wilde, the issuing of the Wolfenden Report, the Sexual Offences Act of 1967, the rise of HIV/AIDS,  the 1994 lowering of the age of consent, and marriage equality. These are extraordinary snapshots, at times funny and heartbreaking. These brief yet compelling character studies show how much has changed and how little. 

The monologues were first performed on the stage on 28 July 2017 and 31 July 2017 at The Old Vic, London. They were also filmed as the BBC Studios production Queers on BBC Four.

The Man on the Platform

by Mark Gatiss

Set in 1917, pairs the bittersweet train platform parting of a young soldier and his Captain with a childhood memory of Oscar Wilde on the Reading platform on his way to prison.

The Perfect Gentleman

by Jackie Clune

A gentleman in 1929 shares her stories of passing, beginning with growing up a tomboy and playing the part of the husband when she and her friend played 'wedding.'

Safest Spot in Town

by Keith Jarrett

A black man in 1941 describes the places that gay men meet in the years leading up to and during the war.

Missing Alice

by Jon Bradfield

Alice tells of being married to a gay man and the life they forged together before the issuing of the 1957 Wolfenden Report.

I Miss the War

by Matthew Baldwin

In 1967, an older gay man reminisces about the excitement of meeting men when things were less open and things like the use of Polari kept men safe from Lilly Law.

More Anger

by Brian Fillis

A young actor in 1987, laments that his only roles are of gay men dying of AIDS, while simultaneously trying to navigate his own personal life and reluctance to get tested.

A Grand Day Out

by Michael Dennis

A 17-year-old boy is among those gathered outside the House of Commons as the vote is announced for the lowering of the age of consent to 18 in 1994.

Something Borrowed

by Gareth McLean

A man remembers all of the challenges and changes in his life and in society that lead up to the possibility of this day, his wedding day.

Queers | BBC America

October 11, 2017