Welcome to our blog on our Gay Stoke project, funded by Historic England. In this post, our wonderful trainee Emma, a recent graduate, offers a personal perspective on the project, giving you a unique look into the work being done to preserve the LGBTQ+ history of Stoke-on-Trent.
At Potboiler, we remember how challenging it was when we were starting out in our careers, and we know that we only made it because we were given opportunities early on. That’s why we’re delighted to have offered Emma a chance to contribute to this important work. Thanks to the support of Historic England funding and backing from the OGGBT North Midlands group, who were equally committed to creating opportunities for LGBTQ+ trainees, we were able to prioritise giving Emma meaningful work within our project budget.
Through Emma’s eyes, you’ll gain insight into the significance of preserving LGBTQ+ history, the excitement of exploring untold stories, and the collaborative effort that makes projects like *Gay Stoke* possible. We’re proud to be part of a team that not only celebrates the past but also actively supports the future of young talent in the field.
Emma’s Thoughts
Hello! My name is Emma (They/Them) and for the past couple of months I’ve been working as a Trainee Facilitator on Potboiler Theatre’s ‘Gay Stoke’ project which aims to shine a light on Stoke’s working-class and LGBT history through a collaboration with the Older LGBT Network in Stoke-on-Trent.
I joined Potboiler’s ‘Gay Stoke’ project in June as part of the project's second phase. In discussions with the OLGBT Network, members were keen for the project to open more opportunities for an upcoming creative in the area. As a recent graduate with previous connections with Potboiler Theatre and an LGBT Stokie myself, I was incredibly excited to be invited to the team. For me, the project represented the exact work I wanted to do in the future and brought together my passion as an LGBT activist with my desire to make a difference through the arts.
Initially, when I joined the project, I felt as if my strengths lay on the organizational side and was quite anxious to work in such a people-facing role. However, from the moment I met the group, I realized I had absolutely nothing to worry about. The role has shaped my understanding of what it means to facilitate community work and how to engage with those groups in a way that allows everyone to bring their strengths and talents to the work.
My work is often about starting conversations, but within that, there is a skill to managing a large group that makes people feel safe and comfortable to be vulnerable in the artwork they make or stories they might choose to share. What I have found easy is that this work is often about listening, giving them a space to be heard, and allowing their thoughts, interests, and stories to mold the direction of the work.
It is incredibly enjoyable to have a job that aims to make people feel comfortable and to see the rewards of that output in the closeness and creative output of the group has been incredibly rewarding. It is also incredibly varied, from interviewing people at Stoke PRIDE to singing and photography workshops, I feel like I am constantly being pushed out of my comfort zone in a way that has helped me build up my confidence and has changed my focus to want to do more facilitation and community work over production.
I’d say that my favourite part about working on ‘Gay Stoke’ has been the people, who are some of the kindest and most creative bunch I have ever met. They are all open to getting stuck in with whatever you throw at them and do it all with a lot of laughter as well as thoughtful insights that will leave you with something to ponder in the car journey home.
Personally, this project has been very healing for me. It has made me think about my identity more than ever and made me proud of being a ‘gay stokie’, two aspects of my identity that have always felt so separate from one another. Though we live in a far more progressive world, the only LGBT history I’ve ever learnt about was ‘the big stuff’, the great national or international events that resulted in huge changes for our community. While those events are important, it is easy to conflate that learning with a belief that our local history doesn’t exist, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I am proud that Historic England has decided to fund this project and that slowly but surely, bigger institutes are beginning to see our local history as worthy of time, research, and notice.
We had a very interesting discussion in one of our recent sessions about the importance of passing on the mantle to future generations; for me this is the most important outcome of our work. Our stories and experiences need to be captured now and told by us so that future generations can understand their history. It is a shame that when well-known local drag queens are mentioned at sessions, I find myself asking ‘Who is that’ to some very surprised faces because I have never been told about my history. There is a growing number of younger members in our group wanting to listen to that history and as the project has grown its focus has been more placed on sharing these stories to younger generations of LGBT people. As one of the project’s youngest members, it feels a privilege and an honor to know that I am having that mantle passed to me.
We are currently putting the project into its final phase of constructing a creative output and it feels very rewarding to be a part of facilitating that creative decision making. I am excited to see how the work will unfold in its final phase and how we go on to tell the stories and experiences we have heard throughout the workshops in an authentic way. I am also very thankful to Gay Stoke for giving me the opportunity to build up these skills in a welcoming environment and to the many ‘gay stokies’ I have met who have shown me what it means to be a proud LGBT stokie.
A man in a Pride Tshirt looks over to a younger non binary person who is holding open a laptop
