69 items

• 'Bubbles' Poster
  
  This shows the poster used for Bubbles, which opened at The Nightingale Theatre in Brighton. Jane Boston, Tash Fairbanks and Hilary Ramsden performed in it.
• 'From the Divine' Poster.
  
  Digital reproduction of the poster for the Siren play 'From the Divine'. This shows a photo of two toy soldiers and a toy tank falling over on the keys of a piano. The play was devised by Siren and scripted by Tasha Fairbanks following the Falklands War in 1982. It was directed by Sylvia Vickers. Siren used as a starting point for devising the play, a photograph from a newspaper of a group of women waving off the troops to the Falkland war, one of whom has lifted her tops showing her bare breasts behind a Union Jack flag. The play explored the role of women in supporting wars throughout the centuries.
• 'Hotel Destiny' Poster
  
  This poster was made for Theater Frascati in Amsterdam for Siren’s performance of ‘Hotel Destiny’.
• 'Swamp' Poster
  
  This shows the poster for Siren’s play ‘Swamp’ for the performance at the Oval House Theatre in London. The play was directed by Clare Brennan. As well as touring the play in the UK, it was also performed at the Brighton Festival in May 1989.
• Brighton AIDS Memorial collection
  
  In Brighton on World AIDS Day, many huddle together at the vigil in New Steine Gardens to ‘hear the voices of dead friends.’ Two hundred souls claimed by the virus are remembered as their names are read, one after another. When I hear my friend Andrea’s name, memories flicker like the candle cradled in my hand, but what settles in my mind is the smiling face of the bright-eyed Brazilian florist who made me laugh every day. For me, it’s important that my thought lingers on his life, however short, before the disease choked it from his lungs on an AIDS ward. I remember many people whose names are read but there are fewer faces I recognise in the crowd with each passing year. Brighton has always been a transient place, an oasis many use to find their queer identity before moving on. Sometimes I worry I might be the only person left in the crowd of candles who remembers Andrea, and it saddens me to think all that might eventually remain of him and others are names forever bound to the virus and death. From the late 1980s Brighton was hit hard by AIDS, and due to the number of victims and their age, many likened the experience to being in a war. When I opened the Evening Argus or walked up St. James’s Street and saw GAY – GOT AIDS YET sprayed on a wall, it definitely felt like we were under attack and losing. But as writer and activist Neil Bartlett once reminded me, using war as a metaphor is dangerous because it suggests an end. World War One stopped at 11 o’clock on the 11 November 1918 with an armistice. HIV, AIDS and the stigma that surrounds it still continues. In 1989 I trained as a volunteer at the Sussex AIDS Centre and Helpline, because I wanted to help, but also because I wanted to learn about the disease and stay alive. The camaraderie fostered by the centre birthed many friendships that last to this day, but inevitably I lost quite a few friends along the way too. Despite the wounds the disease left behind, little seems to remain to a story, just ghosts and a few buildings turned into flats. I believe our history needs to be recorded and held close because it has shaped us and helps inform our identities going forward. I created the Brighton AIDS Memorial on Instagram as a starting point to this collection after being directly inspired by the AIDS Memorial which has become a global phenomenon with 186,000 followers. The stories that arrive from across the world never cease to move and surprise, and one day it struck me that Brighton needed its own space for remembrance so that local names can be re-embroidered with their essence and local history pieced together. Our remembrance needs to acknowledge the horror, but also celebrate the lost lives and provide a cathartic release. I’ve already discovered much needing careful preservation for future generation, and this work must continue. My belief is that the Queer Heritage South archive site will provide the safe home these stories need so they don’t disappear. The collection will also showcase the queer heroes and trailblazers, the organisations, and bring together all the photos, writing and ephemera in one place. So, take a look in those old shoe boxes under the bed, or the scrapbooks and photo albums in a cupboard and help us build this collection. Or if you have a story to tell or someone to remember please get in touch – brightonaidsmemorial@gmail.com
• Brighton Evening Argus Review of Siren's 'Hotel Destiny'
  
  This shows a review of ‘Hotel Destiny’ when it opened at The Nightingale Theatre, Brighton. Harper writes that "This is a value-for-money show. There's music, songs and sporadic talent from the female cast. For once, The Nightingale, near Brighton Station, is packed."
• Carl Boardman: Miscellaneous
  
  The following items have been donated to the archive by Carl Boardman. 1. This image is a digital reproduction of a white badge from Florida in 1990, it reads 'THE GAY 90'S are back!' in pink yellow and green. 2. This photograph depicts Miss Martinie L'More pouring cups of tea at the LLGC Tea Dance in 1989.
• City Limits 1982; Siren 'Curfew' Review
  
  This shows the cover of City Limits magazine, with the listings showing Siren presenting the play ‘Curfew’ at The Oval House theatre in London. It also shows a review of ‘Curfew’ by Carole Woddis in the centre of the first column. Siren shows were regularly reviewed very positively by City Limits (a rival to Time Out magazine and far more alternative at the time).
• City Limits 1983 – review of ‘From the Divine’ by Barney Bardsley
  
  Digital reproduction of the cover of City Limits magazine, with a review of Siren's play ‘From the Divine', which was performed at Hoxton Hall and Jackson’s Lane theatres, London.
• City Limits Review of Siren's 'Hotel Destiny'
  
  This shows a review of the play ‘ Hotel Destiny’ which was performed at The Oval House Theatre. The review is generally positive, with some negative remarks, but states that the performance "is an evening of lesbian affirmation with mixed pleasures - ingenious, gently laconic without being fully satisfying, subversive without truly detonating."
• Comments Book (March 1985)
  
  This is a copy of a page from the Comments Book, which was always put out at the exit of the theatres where Siren performed. The comments on this page related to the play, ’Now Wash Your Hands Please’.
• Comments Book February 1984
  
  This shows comments from audience members after seeing the play ‘From the Divine’.
• Comments Book May 1984
  
  The comments were after a performance of the play ‘Now Wash Your Hands Please’. Two comments were from males who felt that it was important for men to see the play.
• Evening Argus review of ‘From the Divine’
  
  Digital reproduction of a review in the Evening Argus of Siren's play ‘From the Divine', which opened at the Pavilion Theatre, Brighton.
• Original image for 'Siren in QueerStreet' Cover
  
  This was the original photograph which was used for the ‘Siren in Queerstreet’ cassette cover.