We’ve been following Nathaniel Hall’s work since he appeared on our screens last year as part of Russell T Davies’ seminal TV series It’s A Sin, and reviewed his play First Time when it toured a few months ago.
Nathaniel and playwright Chris Hoyle are the artistic directors of Dibby Theatre; alongside producer Ross Carey, the trio run this queer Manchester-based theatre company. This Pride month they have launched Dibby’s LGBTQ+ Community Arts Fund, which aims to support LGBTQ+ creatives and communities to thrive across Greater Manchester.
“Dibby is led by three white cis-gendered gay men and the fund is about us showing up for other people in our community – supporting intersectional voices and offering training and development,” says Nathaniel. “It’s about us cis-het gays stepping up and being better allies and supporting others.
“As a gay man living with HIV, I know all too well the extra challenges many LGBTQ+ people face. I was bullied at school, have faced prejudiced attitudes at work and have been violently attacked in the street. It’s not surprising that 1 in 2 LGBTQ+ people experience mental ill health. This can be compounded if other aspects of your identity are subject to prejudice, for example if you are Black or Asian, or live with a disability.”
“We realised there was a real need for safe and inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ people to develop their talent in the creative sector,” explains Chris Hoyle. “In 2021 we launched a playwrighting course for LGBTQ+ people and we were swamped with applications for just five places. So, our assumptions about the need were absolutely correct.”
“Despite the challenges we have faced, there are others in our community who face much more,” continues Nathaniel. “We’ve seen the impact the fund has had already for previous Black and trans participants. It’s about us giving back and holding the ladder out for others as Dibby’s success grows. As a community, we have to show up for one another, and we hope this fund will do just that.”
This Pride Month, the company launched their Crowdfunding campaign for their LGBTQ+ Community Arts Fund, with a goal of £5k to kickstart a drive to reach £55k across the year. The fund will support LGBTQ+ inclusive talent development for theatre creatives, producers and backstage crew, with a focus on encouraging intergenerational and intersectional dialogue.
More information about the LGBTQ+ Community Arts Fund and what Dibby Theatre aims to achieve can be found here.
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