Queering the Archive with Tom Marshman | 2 Part Course | £40

Zoom Workshop dates

Thu 6th October  7.30pm-9.30pm

Wed 19th October 7.30pm - 9.30pm

About the Course - words by Tom Marshman 

How can the archive be performed or written about through a modern lens?

How can we present stories about our queer ancestors when language and social indemnities are vastly different? 

How can we see ourselves in stories from the past?

I will 

• Present the group with archival sources, via screen sharing, and discuss the way these sources can be analysed to look for an authentic voice, while bringing in contextual information.
• By the end of the two sessions, participants will have a better understanding of archives, and ways in which archive material can be used creatively.
• They will also understand the political and theoretical aspects of archives, and how archival absences can be used as a powerful tool for creating narratives.
• I will be drawing on Rebecca Schneider’s work, Performance Remains (2011), participants will explore the notion of the ‘absence of flesh’ and ‘ghosting of bones’ as both a theoretical and practical approach to working with archives, working with the idea of the archive as a body/body of material/body of power, archive ghosts, and hauntology.
• Having two sessions will allow me to introduce writers to the concepts of archives and possibilities - and to go away and do some of their own practice before the next session, discussion of which would form part of the second session.

Much of my writing centres around LGBTQ+ communities, interviewing them about a certain topic, and then transcribing the interviews or digging around in an archive. I currently have 2 main shows that are being made and presented through touring and one off commissions. 

1. ‘A Shining Intimacy’, about the friendship between Kenneth Williams and Maggie Smith, which contains a mixture of archival material from the two. Interviews, diary accounts and, biographies, are used alongside an autobiographical narrative from me. 

2. ‘Jenny’, a theatre show that shines a light on a story, found in Newcastle archives, of a trans woman, considering how we gather information about a life that is only presented to us via criminal records. 

I would use some of these archival sources within the workshop.

The course is aimed at writers with some experience of writing, not beginners.  

After the Event

Attendees also get free access to our online LGBTQ+ Writer Network Community for 2022. This is a safe and managed space on our own Slack platform and it's easy to use.

Partial Bursaries for writers who would otherwise be unable to attend are available for this workshop. To enquire about a bursary please email Paul, his email address is contact@outonthepage.co.uk

About Tom Marshman

Tom has been a practicing artist for 21 years, and has produced over 60 projects across many mediums, including museum audio-tours, theatre & cabaret. He actively encourages dialogue with participants through socially engaged processes such as ‘Tea Parties’, allowing evocative glimpses into everyday life, helping him to create engaging, poetic & unpretentious stories. An overarching theme of Tom’s work is that of the outsider & their story, particularly regarding the LGBTQ+ experience - stories that been omitted through archival silence.

https://www.tommarshman.com