Allow me to introduce myself: Harry Clayton-Wright, 35, Pisces, I’m an artist and theatre maker from Blackpool. I started my career at attractions on the Golden Mile, but have been working both nationally and internationally for the past 17 years, making and performing in cabaret and theatre productions far and wide.
I’m also the curator of Queer Amusements – a brand new multi-artform festival in Blackpool, showcasing the best of dance, drag, visual art, theatre literature and craft, with a fabulous line-up of top tier talent, if I do say so myself…
Growing up in Blackpool was and is an extraordinary thing. My imagination was set alight with illuminations and arcade machines, candy floss and carousels, showgirls and circus performers, ballroom dancers and drag queens. In 2021, I chatted to the legendary avant-garde cabaret performer David Hoyle, who is also from Blackpool, and we spoke about its influence. “Do you think that growing up in Blackpool and being exposed to show business and entertainment had an effect on you?” I asked. “Oh my God, yes,” David replied. “That was fortuitous because when I was a child, Blackpool was very prosperous. You had artists and performers of an international standard coming to Blackpool regularly, so I saw some amazing people as a child and they were absolutely such escapism and joy. It was definitely the world I wanted to be a part of. I love fantasy. I love sparkle.”
I knew that feeling well. I felt like being an entertainer was an attainable goal because I saw it every weekend. I wanted to dress as the showgirl in her feathers at the Hot Ice show at the Pleasure Beach. I wanted to perform in the circus finale spectacular where the stage lowers and the ring fills with 42,000 gallons of water. I wanted to be clown, the magician’s assistant, I wanted to design rollercoasters and theme parks, I wanted to be part of the fun.
Age 21 I met the hostess and sword swallower Miss Behave and became part of her show The Crack, performing in a rubber dress at the Blackpool Grand Theatre, in the role of the glamourous assistant. Miss Behaves Gameshow was to take me around the world before Covid bought me back to Blackpool – where I fell in love with the town all over again.
Blackpool is the perfect home for Queer Amusements, for so many reasons. We’ve venues galore, we’ve an incredible creative community, independent organisations championing the development of artists and artworks in the town. The festival runs from April to September, in conjunction with Marlborough Productions New Queers on the Block and Blackpool community arts association Aunty Social.
The festival line-up features award winning artists, writers and performers such as Travis Alabanza, Krishna Istha – who will be delivering talks and workshops around making autobiographical work – and Scottee who will be working together with me to offer a week long development residency for ten artists to create and develop their own cabaret and short form performance pieces. Scottee will also be hosting a seaside soiree with Chippy Tea as part of the programme (free chips with every ticket). We have international showgirl sensation Titty Kaka, who started her career in Blackpool at Funny Girls at the tender age of 18 and who now, a decade later, is resident drag queen for Virgin Voyages fleet of lady ships. Titty will be coming home to deliver a “create your own drag persona” workshop weekend and will also host an alternative drag pageant and club night with HerHouse (Blackpool’s very own fierce, femme DJ and drag collective).
Garth Gratrix, a brilliant visual artist from town, will be in residence with a summer season solo show, ‘Flamboyant Flamingos’, at the Grundy Art Gallery (the first hometown artist to take that slot) and we’ve commissioned a new neon artwork which be exhibited as part of the show. We’re hosting craft workshops and a literary talk. We’ve dance excellence in the form of Thick & Tight with Tits & Teeth at Blackpool Grand Theatre, whose choreographic work is sumptuous and beautiful, threading dance and drag and lip sync into performed portraits of famous and infamous people.
It couldn’t feel more exciting to be embarking on bringing Queer Amusements to Blackpool. And what comes next? You check out the festival website. You sign up to the mailing list and follow us on Instagram. You tell your friends. You book a train to Blackpool. The rest is history…
