Zhoosh LGBTQIA Music and Arts Project

Tandem Theatre is a creative arts charity for communities across Greater Manchester and beyond. Enriching, developing and transforming lives through drama and other participatory arts.

The organisation has extensive experience in delivering high quality arts practice for homeless adults, vulnerable women, young women and young people with behavioural and emotional challenges. Tandem Theatre aim to encourage and edify participants so they acquire the tools needed to reach their potential. Their projects take many forms depending on the needs of the various groups we work with. Working in partnership is the heart of what we do, and work alongside host organisations such as Youth Services, Homeless Support Centres, Women Centres and Alternative Education Providers to name a few.

Zhoosh*, is a project for groups of LGBTQIA young people based in Rochdale, Salford and Wigan. The groups have written and recorded their own songs with composer Michael Betteridge, written their own poetry with performance poet Jackie Hagan, and seen Kate O’Donnell, Artistic Director of Trans Creative, perform at the Birdgewater Hall, Manchester. The young people then performed their music live to launch Trans Vegas, the Trans Arts Festival by Transcreative at Manchester Art Gallery, at Salford Pink Picnic and at the biggest national LGBT+ youth festival, Rainbow Playground, by the Proud Trust.

The groups also created short films, which will be available online and screened at HOME, Manchester in the new year. All the young people who completed the project achieved the Silver Arts Award, Level Two qualification accredited by Trinity College London.

This project was funded by Youth Music, Arts Council England, Salford Clinical Commissioning Group, Superbia and the Guardian Society Foundation.

*Zhoosh is a term used in the Polari slang language popular in gay subculture meaning ‘to make more exciting and lively’.