In February 2023, not only did I have the honour of taking on the role of Real Boy again (the trans main character of my writer-director friend Finn Evans’ original play Real Boy), we were invited to perform it at Norwich’s inaugural Queer Fest 2023.
Queer Fest was held at St Mary’s Works, or the Shoe Factory – an abandoned shoe factory reclaimed to host arts and culture events by the initiative Shoe Factory Social Club. It was an incredibly unique venue with a powerful grunge feel that really gave Real Boy a sense of building something from the ground up.
But what made this performance extra special was that we were part of something dedicated to and rooted in local queer community.
We were alongside a host of other queer events, from an arts market to film screenings. And our audience was filled with not just queer folk but our fellow trans peers.
Last November, I wrote in Trans Writes about how powerful it was for me to stand on that stage and be explicitly trans in front of a (mostly) cishet audience, to have a dedicated trans role in that public space; This time, there was a sea of my trans siblings. I felt their weight sway me throughout the play, rising with the joy I was showing them and keeping strong at the despair. The last performance in October brought tears to my eyes in the very last moment; This time, the prospect of bringing that final image of Real Boy to the eyes of my community weighed so heavily on me I was on the verge of tears as soon as I stepped out.
I was lucky to have attended a FLUX: Trans* Writers Circle workshop (hosted by the incredible KR Moorhead) on the Sunday after the performance (at OUT! Norwich – another great queer gathering), where I had the privilege to be around some of those trans peers that had seen the play! And I got to hear from them first-hand about their experience, which I’ve taken to heart.
I want to do so much for my community. God, they empower me.
There’s so much more we’re hoping to do with Real Boy, with a wider update from the team behind it (now including me!) coming Thursday 16th March 2023. So keep an eye on the Real Boy Instagram linked above, otherwise updates will come through here.
jesse smith 