Exploring the legislation that offered a "global blueprint for LGBTQ+ oppression"

Written by Ellice, originally from Portsmouth, and by Billy Barrett (Billy is also the director), it is at the Connaught Theatre, Worthing on Wednesday, November 6; three performances on Friday and Saturday, November 8 and 9 at Brighton Corn Exchange; and the Minerva Theatre, Chichester from Wednesday-Saturday, November 27-30.

The piece comes promised as a “new 1980s-inspired musical about pride, protest… and abseiling lesbians.” It argues that Thatcher’s Section 28, which banned the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in schools, was the landmark legislation that silenced a generation, offered a global blueprint for LGBTQ+ oppression and galvanised a movement.

As Ellice says, After the Act is funny, camp and unapologetically queer but also a clear-eyed exposure of the political playbook used to enact repressive laws. It’s a piece that tells the inspiring, sometimes heart-breaking, stories of teachers, students and activists impacted by the legislation – alongside a joyously exuberant original live score by composer and musical director Frew.

“For myself and Billy, who co-wrote the show, we had made a show with the composer Frew before and we wanted to work together again. We decided we wanted to do a show exploring queer identity, queer shame and queer joy. We all went to school under Section 28 and realised that we didn't really know anything about it.

“Section 28 was the legislation in law from 1988 to 2003 brought in by the Thatcher government which prohibited the promotion of homosexuality in schools and by local authorities which in effect meant that a lot of teachers could not speak about their identity and could not be openly queer and it meant that homophobic bullying could not really be called out.

“I think there was a combination of things behind it but what really interested us was exploring this law and how it came into place, what the political playbook was and what the impact was. It's a really difficult show to make because there is not one straightforward narrative. It all started when Haringey council tried to get positive images of gays and lesbians into schools and that got picked up by anxious parents who were saying that the loony left was spreading these gay child sex images and it just escalated from there. You look at the way that politicians were talking about lesbians and gays at the time and the language they were using was just repulsive.

“In some ways you could say that we have now progressed but I think we're watching the same thing happening to a different group of people now with the discussion around trans identities. We interviewed a teacher who was working with a lot of LBGT teenagers with a particular emphasis on trans and the teacher was saying that the schools are really not getting it. There's so much fear around parents, and it means that students are just not getting to speak about their identity in the way that they need to.

“I think we are in a situation where there is a new repression. It's not just that we're on the brink of it. It's happening now. If you look at the way that the last Tory government spoke about trans and if you look at the way that Keir Starmer’s government is talking about trans, you can see what is happening and it's all being done under the idea of protection. But the fact is that they are vilifying a whole community and using such obscene language to do so. I think what is happening right now with the trans community is a definite parallel to what the play is about.”