In 1983, Peter Tatchell stood as the Labour candidate for the seat of Bermondsey in the upcoming by-election. Following a bitter and fractious campaign that extensively targeted Tatchell’s gay rights advocacy and left-wing politics, the seat was won by Simon Hughes of the Liberal party (who himself came out in 2006) in what remains the largest swing of any by-election in British political history.

This new multi-media verbatim opera interrogates the personal and political impact of this campaign, and the long shadow it has cast on British politics, using the very words of those who lived through it. Following residencies at Snape Maltings in Aldeburgh and LOD muziektheater in Belgium, we are excited to present a full performance of ‘Bermondsey, 1983’ on the 40th anniversary of this infamous by-election.

Peter Tatchell: Arthur Bruce
Simon Hughes: Oskar McCarthy
Violin: Emily Earl

Music: Robert Reid Allan
Words: Gareth Mattey
Director: Sam Redway Wells