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Nancy Brabin-Platt, Ellena Vincent, Eva Scott, Lucy Mackay, Georgina Coram (left to right)

Gwenda’s Garage
‘The lesbian musical triumph of the century – of ever!’
Script by Nicky Hallett
Music and lyrics by Val Regan
Directed by Jelena Budimir
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Premiered as script-in-hand performances to standing ovations
in Sheffield Crucible’s Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse
on 13 & 14 November 2023.
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Drawing on interviews with women associated with Gwenda’s Garage,
a lesbian-run car repair workshop in Sheffield - named after legendary racing driver
Gwenda Stewart (1894-1990) - and involved with 1980s feminist campaigns,
especially against the Tory government’s notorious Section 28
that prevented the so-called ‘promotion’ of homosexuality
as a ‘pretended family relationship.’
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We were delighted to receive funding from Historic England / Everyday Heritage:
https://heritagecalling.com/2024/07/30/gwendas-garage-the-1980s-sheffield-garage-run-by-women-mechanics/
See more about the show:
https://www.outofthearchive.co.uk/gwenda-public
https://www.outofthearchive.co.uk/learn-more
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We also curated Spanners in the Works, an exhibition and workshop in Sheffield’s Millennium Gallery, celebrating women in manual trades, to coincide with the 20-year anniversary of the repeal of Section 28. Over 134,000 visited the gallery during the period of its installation.
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Curated by Becky Graham and Amy Marsh, in collaboration with Museums Sheffield and WEST (Women in Engineering, Science & Technology)